


Parenthood

by crystalsnowflakes



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Babysitting, Dysfunctional Family, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Idiots in Love, Light Angst, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:02:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 44,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27646549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crystalsnowflakes/pseuds/crystalsnowflakes
Summary: In the aftermath of Meteor, the world is in shambles.  There are those who are doing all they can to repay their debts to the planet, but even so, suffering had run rampant and it was not unusual for parents to forgo their children, sometimes out of selfishness, other times out of necessity.On a night after their weekend of bar hopping, Yuffie and Reno find an abandoned baby in a box and out of compassion, Yuffie offers to take the baby home temporarily and Reno agrees to help reluctantly.[Complete]
Relationships: Tifa Lockhart/Rude, Yuffie Kisaragi/Reno
Comments: 66
Kudos: 39





	1. Weekend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I just need some pointers,” Yuffie said as she bit her lips, her heart suddenly racing at the idea that she was being her usual impulsive and spontaneous self. “I didn’t plan on leaving the kiddo here. I know you’re busy with the bar and three kids and it wouldn’t be fair—"
> 
> “Wait, what?” Reno yelped as he pushed himself off the wall, his eyes widening in surprise. “Look, brat. We didn’t bring the kid all the way here so you could kill it.”

Their footsteps echoed eerily off the huge metal makeshift buildings all around them—her feet bounced loudly on the path as his quieter ones trailed beside her. Yuffie’s eyes swept over the dark, dreary city as she kept half an ear open for anything suspicious in the cramped alleys because desperate people tended to do desperate things and the city of Edge was full of them. 

Her mindless chatter continued as she skipped towards their destination and he made the occasional grunt as a response. She couldn’t stop her lips from lifting up into her usual cheeky grin as his tobacco-stained fingers reached inside his inner pocket to pull out a cigarette before he placed it in his mouth. And then with an irritated groan and his cancer stick dangling, his lips drew into an ugly scowl that caused her immeasurable delight.

Reno ran his hand through his hair in frustration as he stopped in his steps. “Give it back to me, you fuckin’ brat.”

“Whaddya want?” she asked as she turned towards him with her head tilted, eyes sparkling.

“You  _ know _ what. Now gimme.”

Her girlish giggles contrasted sharply with his voice and she made sure to be just out of reach as she stood in front of him, tossing the lighter up in the air before catching it. “Sorry, old man,” she sang childishly, “Finders keepers!” And then, flashing the biggest impish grin she could muster at him because she  _ knew _ it would drive him absolutely up the wall, she tossed the lighter up again before it disappeared into thin air.

“It’s not  _ finding  _ if you reached inside my pockets,” he said with a sneer. Regardless, out of spiteful pettiness, he threw the cigarette at her face, smirking briefly in satisfaction when it hit her in the corner of the eye. She glared at him in response. “That’s my fifth one this month, you little shit.”

She couldn’t stop the triumphant snickers from escaping her lips as she slowed down her steps to match his. “Ya know, you should be thanking me for being such an awesome bar hopping partner,” she teased, enjoying the brief flash of annoyance in his green eyes. “I go outta my way to not only cut you off before you’re drunk off your turkey ass, I also make sure your lungs don’t turn black like your soul.”

He stuck his foot out to trip her and having expected retaliation, she dodged his attack easily enough and stuck out her tongue at him instead. “You’re only here cause ‘Lena and Rude are too old for this shit, yo,” he muttered with a snort.

With another chortle, she maneuvered herself beside him and grabbed onto his arm tightly—she knew he had never been comfortable with her casual touches and she secretly loved the way it made him squirm. Except he was getting all too familiar to her annoying quirks and instead of pulling away like she had expected him to, he merely rolled his eyes. 

“Aww Reno,” she cooed softly, her large brown eyes peering up at him with mock innocence and she noticed with dissatisfaction that he was getting accustomed to  _ that _ , too. She’d just have to figure out something else that would bug him. “You know just as well as I do that you miss me on the weekends when I’m not around.”

“Tch." He flicked his finger against her forehead almost painfully, causing her to scowl in response. "I do  _ not." _

“Fine,” she huffed out an exaggerated breath, but she couldn’t stop her lips from curling up, nor could she keep the hint of mischief from her eyes. “I won’t see you tomorrow then. Try and find someone else as  _ amazing _ as the Great Ninja Yuffie! Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk!” Her hands relaxed their grip around his arm before pulling away, having reached their usual destination—the midway point between his apartment in the more affluent part of Edge and her apartment in a dicier neighbourhood—it was where most of their bar hopping adventures always ended.

However, her gaze didn’t stray from his, curious to see what he would retort with because Reno always kept her on her toes—he was just as unpredictable as her.

“Well?” she asked with the tilt of the head, curious. When it didn’t seem like he was about to say anything else, she stuck her tongue out at him again. “Fine. See ya never then, Turkey!”

Rolling his eyes with a scoff, he turned around. “See ya tomorrow, brat.”

A sharp cackle burst out from her mouth as she watched him walk away and she was about to throw a snarky comment at his back when a sudden penetrating wail cut through the night. Her right hand reached for her shuriken as her body tensed up, immediately ready for battle. It wasn’t a rare occurrence to run into problems in Edge during nighttime, but it was uncommon enough that it made her feel on edge—her obvious weapon tended to cause people to think twice before attacking. 

Within seconds, his EMR was out and his aquamarine eyes were darting along the rooftop to check for attackers. She found it fascinating how they could both quickly revert to their fighting mentality within mere moments—a sad proof that they had to deal with this type of stuff too often, even during ‘peaceful’ times. He shot her a look, his lips set in a grim line as he motioned the rooftop with his head. She nodded in return as she ran up the side of the three-story building quickly and stealthily, scanning the roof for as far as she could see in the dim lighting. No one could be seen.

Another loud wail sounded and Yuffie noticed with a little horror that it sounded like a  _ baby _ and Reno seemed to have come to the same conclusion because he entered through the dark alley urgently with less caution than usual, his flashlight barely illuminating anything. She followed him slowly from above, making sure to keep an eye on both his back and the rest of the roof as they made their way towards the sound.

“Fuck,” he cursed loudly, the sound of his voice echoing up the sides of the buildings.

Her heart dropped to her stomach. Even with the little illumination that his flashlight provided, she could see the sharp contrast between the bright scarlet puddle and the dark concrete ground in the alley. She cast one last look around the rooftops, making sure no one else was in sight before she vaulted off the roof and onto the ground, landing next to him with a soft thud.

“Oh shit,” she breathed out, her nose wrinkling reflexively from the strong, metallic stench. Her shuriken went back into its holster as she knelt down next to the body, being careful not to step in the blood. Adult male. Wutain. Short brown hair. The empty dark eyes that stared up into hers caused her to look away—it didn’t matter how many times she had seen death because she didn’t think she could ever get used to it. Her mind flashed back involuntarily to all those Wutain men, women and children who had died from Geostigma—had it already been four years? 

“Body’s still warm,” she murmured, her fingers on the neck as she tried desperately to find a pulse, knowing it was a fool’s errand from the gaping knife wound through the chest that was still steadily flowing large amounts of blood.

Whoever had done this was long gone.

Reno placed his Shinra-issue nightstick back into its holster as he crouched down, his flashlight focusing on the empty wallet lying near the body. “All this for some goddamn gil,” he muttered with a sneer before placing the flashlight in his mouth to use his hands to grab the wallet and pull out the ID card. 

The sudden wail of a baby, this time much closer, reminded them of the reason why they had entered into the alley in the first place. “Gimme some light,” Yuffie said hastily as she tried to follow where the sound came from last. Making sure the scream hadn’t come from the dumpster nearby, she continued walking with Reno trailing behind her, his flashlight giving her just enough light to see where she was going without tripping over.

A suspicious-looking box sat on the ground seemingly out of place and with a wary glance towards Reno, she opened the flaps. Even though it had been  _ exactly _ what she had expected, she could swear her heart stopped beating for a few moments when she saw the outline of a baby in the darkness.   
  
Were they too late?

Reno approached from behind quickly and seeing her expression, shone his flashlight inside the box—the sudden shrill cries of the baby overwhelmed their ears immediately and he flicked off the light.

“Fuck,” he cursed again.

The sudden sound of his profanity caused Yuffie to jump into action and she instinctively wrapped her arms around the baby, making sure to support the neck. The baby’s skin was cold to the touch. Reno seemed to have read her mind as he turned the flashlight back on, placing it in his mouth before he emptied the pockets of his jacket, taking it off and draping it over the baby and over her shoulders. The baby continued to scream, tears leaking out and in a desperate attempt to calm the baby down, she bounced on her feet and sang whatever children song came to mind.

For a few long minutes, Yuffie wasn’t sure if the baby was ever going to stop shrieking, but as the baby’s cries  _ finally _ subsided and the baby’s skin eventually felt like it wasn’t ice-cold anymore, she shot Reno a faltering grin. “Never thought I’d be so glad Teef and Baldy make me babysit their kiddo,” she said with a weak smile.

He responded with a scoff of annoyance before shaking his head and pointed the flashlight back towards the way they came. “Let’s get the hell outta the alley and figure out what the fuck we’re gonna do with a baby.”

“What time is it?” she asked, taking small steps to follow him as she clutched tightly onto the infant, careful not to drop his jacket as well as trip on her face—she really couldn’t afford to be clumsy at this moment.

Glancing briefly at his watch, the deep creases across his forehead relaxed slightly as they made their way back in the dimly lit streets of Edge. “Just past midnight. You wanna head to the bar?”

Yuffie peeked under the jacket and upon seeing beady brown eyes and short dark hair that were distinctively Wutain, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness. The baby was dressed in a tan onesie and while it was not the best choice in attire for the evening, Edge was warm enough that a onesie would have sufficed if it was a quick trip to run an errand. She gave a small sigh and before she could answer him, the little legs started flailing and the baby’s mouth opened wide, readying to screech—Yuffie cuddled the infant up to her chest again and  _ hoped _ it would help calm the baby down.

With her lips pressed tightly together and her face paler than usual, she gave Reno a glum look before nodding. “Unless you know what the hell to do with a baby?” she asked.

He held up his hands in surrender, one of his eyebrows quirked up. “You remember who the fuck you’re talkin’ to, right?”

"To the bar, then," she said mournfully, casting one last glance at the alleyway.

The city cleaning crew would be starting their daily checks soon and in less than twelve hours, nobody would realize anything had happened in that particular alley—after all, it was a common occurrence to find corpses in the backstreets of Edge.

* * *

It took them a little more than ten minutes to arrive at Seventh Heaven and it was still completely swamped at one in the morning on a Saturday night. It was one of the many reasons why Reno and Yuffie often found other places to hang out at on the weekends despite this particular bar being their favourite.

So when Yuffie showed up with Reno in tow unexpectedly with a baby in her arms, Tifa took one glance at them and dropped everything to run over.

“What’s going on?” Tifa asked as she approached them, her wine-red eyes studying the baby in Yuffie’s arms intently. 

Yuffie had the intense urge to pass the miniature human being to her, but when Tifa didn’t hold her arms out, she held tightly onto the infant instead. “Kinda have someone else's kid here,” Yuffie said.

“Found in a damn box in an alley. Dad’s dead,” Reno muttered, his green eyes scanning the establishment quickly.

“Rude’s upstairs,” Tifa answered the unasked question that was no doubt on the tip of Reno’s tongue—neither of the Turks were very far away from each other at any given time. “Lily just woke up, so he went upstairs to put her back down. C’mon up.” She cast a quick look at Ashley, who was the new hired help, before glancing back at the baby and nodding to herself as if reassuring herself that Ashley was able to deal with the hoard of customers.

Walking up the stairs, Yuffie was secretly glad that Reno was following closely behind her because as the amazing ninja that she was, she also knew she tended to flail and be a klutz when her fighting skills weren’t needed. At the moment, she feared falling and dropping the infant more than anything and she could feel her body relax as soon as she reached the top of the stairs. 

Just as Reno's foot touched the last step, Rude exited the children’s room, closing the door behind him quietly. Having seemingly heard the commotion, he turned around and gave the two of them a nod—the only thing giving away his surprise at seeing the duo was the raised eyebrow behind his shades.

Even inside of his own home, he was dressed in his standard-issue Turk uniform—Yuffie shook her head with a wry grin, feeling like she shouldn’t be surprised.

Tifa ushered the small group into the guestroom that Yuffie had once claimed as her own, now used partly as a storage room for baby supplies, before shutting the door quietly behind her. She glanced at the infant again in Yuffie’s arms as she approached her, her fingers moving the jacket away before stroking the baby’s cheek gently.

“So what happened?” Tifa asked.

For once, Yuffie didn’t feel much like talking and she looked down at the baby that was now much calmer instead—a wave of sadness washed over her. Reno, having noticed her uncharacteristic silence, stepped in to explain the end to their evening and Yuffie tried hard to focus her mind on the infant instead. By the time she attempted to listen in on the conversation, Reno was already finishing up.

“I’ve got the ID so I’ll have ‘Lena do a quick background check tomorrow and see if we can find the next of kin.”

“Reeve and Rufus have really got their work cut out for them, huh,” Tifa murmured with a sad sigh as she reached for the baby and Yuffie shrugged off the jacket while passing over the bundle voluntarily—she was beyond happy to be relieved of baby-carrying duties.

Reno, who was leaning languidly against the wall, merely shrugged casually before catching the jacket Yuffie had thrown his way. “It’s what happens in the slums.” Even with his cool detachment, Yuffie knew from personal experience it bothered him more than he let on. The small glimpses of humanity she saw in him when his guard was down told her this was how he portrayed himself—it was a shame everyone in this room saw right through him.

The truth was, things  _ should  _ have been different in Edge, especially after everything that happened in Midgar. The sad and disappointing reality, however, was that nothing had truly changed and no matter where they were in the world, there would always be people taking advantage of others.

“I’d love to help,” Tifa said as she smiled softly before placing the baby on the guest bed and unbuttoning the onesie as she pulled off the diaper. “But I’ve got my hands full and—"

“Teef,” Yuffie interrupted, feeling the sudden urge to do what felt  _ right  _ even though her mind was telling her it was a  _ bad _ idea. She wasn’t even sure if she was  _ ready _ to take on such a huge responsibility, but it felt  _ wrong _ expecting Tifa to once again deal with her problems—she gave Tifa enough trouble as it was. “I just need some pointers,” Yuffie said as she bit her lips, her heart suddenly racing at the idea that she was being her usual  _ impulsive _ and  _ spontaneous  _ self. “I didn’t plan on leaving the kiddo here. I know you’re busy with the bar and three kids and it wouldn’t be fair—"

“Wait, what?” Reno yelped as he pushed himself off the wall, his eyes widening in surprise. “Look, brat. We didn’t bring the kid all the way here so you could  _ kill _ it.”

Yuffie shot him a glare before swatting his shoulder. “I’ve babysat for Teef before and haven’t killed Lily yet!”

Tifa ignored their banter as she placed a new diaper on the baby. “You’re lucky you’re here, anyways. I’ve got a bunch of stuff that Lily just got through and you can take some tonight. You’ll need to come back for more if you plan on keeping her for a little longer.”

“Her?” Yuffie asked as she looked skeptically at the short, wispy dark curls. The baby looked more like a boy than a girl. “You sure?”

“She just changed her fuckin’ diaper, of  _ course _ she’s sure.” He scowled at her.

Yuffie stuck her tongue out at him, making sure to blow a raspberry before turning towards Tifa. “Shouldn’t be more than a day or two till we figure things out, I hope.” Her mind tried to think of whether the convenience stores near her apartment that were still opened even sold diapers—it didn’t look like Tifa had a lot left. “Is that enough diapers for a bit? Not sure how many stores are opened at this hour…”

“Should last a bit. I think I’ve got some more stored elsewhere,” Tifa responded as she studied the baby in her arms closely before holding her close. “Goodness she’s cute,” she murmured as she smiled at her husband. “Don’t you remember Lily at this age, Rude?”

Rude nodded with a rare quirk of his lips before he looked at his partner. “You’re helping her carry some stuff home?”

“I got a choice?” Reno asked with a sneer. But then his gaze turned to Yuffie and his eyebrows drew together. “Don’t you live in some sketchy-ass part of Edge, princess?”

Feeling attacked, Yuffie instantly went on the defense by glowering at him. “So? Why the hell does it matter where I live? I only need a place to crash on the weekends and—”

“I  _ don’t _ give a shit where you choose to live,” Reno scoffed. “But you gonna bring a baby  _ there?  _ Pretty sure the last time I was in the area, I almost got my wallet stolen  _ and _ I had two separate assholes try to mug me. And it wasn’t  _ you.” _

Yuffie couldn’t help the small snort of laughter from escaping—it was a regular occurrence for Reno to lose his wallet thanks to her. She caught the smirk on Rude’s face as well as Tifa’s giggles, but what she couldn’t quite understand was  _ why _ they were reacting that way to Reno. Reno, on the other hand, shot them both a sharp glare and Yuffie had a feeling she was missing some important information.

“Look,” Yuffie grumbled with mild annoyance, “It’s not like I got a lotta choices, ‘kay?” It was not the first time she had felt personally attacked by her choice of living quarters because the gang had given her plenty of shit for it when they realized  _ where _ she had purchased her apartment—thank you very much, Reeve. But she also didn’t think she needed to spend an obscene amount on an apartment in a nicer area, especially because she only spent two nights out of the week in Edge, and most of the time, it was only used as her sleeping place because she left as soon as the sun was up. “It’s only for a couple of days, a few at most.”

Reno cursed as he ran his hand through his hair, a sure sign that he was frustrated—he threw her a glare just to show his displeasure. “I’m gonna fuckin’ regret this,” he gritted out, and Yuffie could have  _ sworn _ she heard Rude hide his laugh with a cough. “But I’ve got a guest room and it’s in a nicer part of town and—”

“Are you offering…” Yuffie couldn’t even finish her question because whatever she had expected to come out of his mouth, it had not been an invitation from him to stay. She could feel her brain short-circuit briefly because while she  _ knew _ they were on good terms—she doubted Reno would be willing to put up with her week after week if that wasn’t the case. That didn't mean that she thought he would  _ ever _ do something nice for her voluntarily without a gun to his head.

With one hand still holding onto the baby, Tifa was clutching onto Rude’s arm with her other as she bit her lips and tried hard not to laugh. Yuffie couldn’t help but blink at the sight because the two of them looked  _ amused _ at Reno’s offer. Had they  _ expected _ him to offer? She couldn’t help but wonder if she was  _ really  _ missing something important. Her gaze turned back to Reno, who had his usual scowl on his face.

“Shut up before I change my mind, brat,” Reno muttered while he rolled his eyes once he caught sight of Tifa. “You’re enjoyin’ this a lil too much, Lockhart.”

Tifa cleared her throat, but she couldn’t quite stop the corners of her lips from widening as she looked at Reno with a knowing look. Passing off the baby to Rude, who took her into his arms without complaints, she walked towards the stack of boxes and opened the flaps. 

“I’ll pack you some clothes, diapers and wipes. I’ve also got bottles and formula downstairs in the kitchen, but you’ll have to wash the bottles often since Lily still uses hers and I can only spare two.” She hummed to herself slightly. “Sleep bag and maybe the baby carrier too.”

Yuffie grimaced, feeling out of her depth and not for the first time wondering if she had bitten off more than she could chew—was this going to be a terrible mistake? She couldn’t stop herself from cackling nervously. “Hah, Teef. You sure I won’t like…” she trailed off, stopping her sentence midway before giving her head a shake. “How hard is it to kill a baby?”

Rude let out a small snort that sounded awfully like it could have been a laugh and Yuffie had to try hard not to stare—how much work had Tifa done on him to make him become a normal  _ human being? _ “Lily hasn't died under my care yet,” he said as he looked down at the baby in his arms and Yuffie had to wonder how his eyes looked at that moment—did they soften like Tifa’s did when she looked at Lily? Probably. Yuffie wouldn’t be surprised if Rude was just as much of a marshmallow as Barret...only probably a lot quieter and a lot less annoying.

“Look, princess.” Reno’s hand grasped her shoulder tightly as he spun her around towards him so he could look into her eyes. “This is a fuckin’ terrible idea. Thought you were gonna drop the kid off here, but if that’s not the case, we should just bring her to the hospital and let ‘em deal with it. This is a goddamn  _ baby  _ and you’re in way over your goddamn head.”

Yuffie gave a small sigh before brushing his hand from her shoulder. “I know, okay? But we both know they’ll pass the baby off to the orphanage as soon as we turn our backs and then who knows what’ll happen. Edge isn’t exactly short on orphans, y’know… And plus, it’s only for a few days till we figure out if there’s any family around, right?” She shot him the cutest puppy look she could muster as she peered up into his eyes. “C’mon Turkey! Plus, you promised to help, right?”

His eyes flickered over the baby for a split second before he brought up his hand to flick her forehead. “I did no such thing, you twerp.”

She glowered at him, but couldn’t stop herself from smirking when Rude approached Reno and passed the baby over to him. Reno shook his head frantically and tried to push the baby away instead. “You’re going to have to hold her if you’re going to help Yuffie.” Reluctantly, at the insistence of Rude, Reno received the baby in his arms as a scowl graced his gaunt face.

“Good. You remembered,” Rude remarked, looking more than a little pleased as he noticed Reno's hand supporting her neck gently.

“‘Course I remember. You like forcin’ your  _ spawn _ in my arms,” Reno spat out—nobody took his annoyance seriously though because as soon as Lily was in the room, Uncle Reno tended to turn into a puddle of mush.

“Look at you, Turkey,” Yuffie cooed as she grabbed onto his arm. “You’re such a big softie deep, deep, deeeeeeeeeeeep down.”

Reno shot her a glare as he looked down at her. “I’m gonna fuckin’ kill you.”

She giggled and waved his threat off breezily. “Nah, you won’t. You love me too much and you know it.” Her stomach clenched when she noticed just how close their faces were—she noticed bemusedly that he didn’t deny her remark either.

Rude clasped his hand on one of Reno’s shoulders tightly, a barely visible smile on his face. “Good luck, partner.”

“Oh, fuck off.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic spawned because what kind of trainwreck could possibly happen with Yuffie and Reno as parents? Although, let’s be honest, I only threw the kiddo in so I could throw the two of them together :D This fic began in July 2020 and was finally completed after four months (had a bit of a writer’s block in the latter chapters that lasted over two months). I am so glad it is finally done because now I can finally get to my other plot bunnies that have been nibbling at my brain. Please enjoy!
> 
> As usual, comments and suggestions are very much appreciated!


	2. Saturday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Uh… Actually…” Yuffie interrupted, her voice unusually sheepish and he looked back at her over his shoulder. His eyebrow rose up at the sight of her embarrassed grin. “I was thinking that you’d join us?”
> 
> He almost choked on his own saliva in surprise and had to force back the sudden image of them sharing a bed. “What?” he spluttered.

“You should set up a doctor’s appointment for her tomorrow too,” Tifa suggested as she tightened the harness for Yuffie, who had been struggling to learn how to use the baby carrier the past ten minutes. Reno thought the damn contraption had too many straps—it reminded him of those pants Rufus had been so fond of for a while. Could a backpack with cut out holes for the legs and arms not do the same damn job?

He watched as Yuffie grimaced in response. “Anything _else_ I needa do?” He had no doubt she was _already_ regretting choosing being responsible for once because she did _not_ look like she had been enjoying any of the lessons Tifa had been trying to impart on her.

“Keep it alive?” Reno responded snarkily with a scowl on his face. His weight shifted to his other feet as he attempted to compensate for the additional weight on his shoulder. Were babies always so _warm?_ His mind tried to think back to when Lily was a mere motionless and drooling baby and he found that he couldn’t remember much of that time. Heat in general had never really bothered him, but the space that the baby was occupying with her head felt like there was a heater blasting directly at him and he felt his skin sweat. The warmth of the baby’s breath against his neck was also starting to feel uncomfortable.

“Not helpful, Turkey,” she snapped back impatiently. But the look on Yuffie’s face soon changed when she caught sight of Reno and her eyes softened on him. He schooled his features into a mask of indifference because he didn’t think he’d ever seen _that_ look on her face before, let alone directed at him—the sudden tightness in his chest caught him by surprise. Just as he was about to snap back a retort, she had bounced over with a phone in her hand and aimed it right at him—a bright light flashed in his face.

“What the _fuck_ is wrong with you, brat?” The baby shifted in his arms with a small whine.

“Omigaaaaaaaaawd. Sooooooooo cuteeeeeeeeeeee!” Yuffie squealed as silently as she could while peering at the baby’s face. “She fell _asleep_ on you.”

“Wait, what?” As he looked down at the baby’s face as best as he could without jostling the infant—he felt an unfamiliar warmth grow in his chest.

Tifa’s laugh tinkled as she packed up the last of the supplies for the babies in an old diaper box. “Well, it turns out Reno has the magic touch.”

“I do _not,”_ he responded with a sneer. Still, he couldn’t look away from the way the baby’s lashes rested against her cheeks, or the way her mouth opened in a small ‘o’ every time she breathed out.

He watched as Yuffie bit her lips in amusement and it looked like she wanted to say something that would no doubt rile him up—he shot her a glare to deter her. The way her large doe eyes shone with mirth or the way the corners of her lips lifted up cheekily made him want to strangle her—he tried to push away the unwanted feelings in his chest, but to no avail.

And yet, she shuffled closer to him instead and opened her arms wide and for a brief moment, he _really_ was ready to throttle her because it looked like she was ready to hug him. Except her hands had wrapped around the baby instead and lifted the infant away from him.

He couldn’t help but wonder if she even knew what the hell she was doing to him. Knowing how oblivious she was though, he doubted it was the case—plenty of men had tried to ask her out only to be completely confused by her lack of response. It was probably better that way, for all parties involved—him, her, whoever the fuck wanted to ask her out.

Reno felt the absence of the infant in his arms right away as the cold air made contact with the part of his body that had been occupied by the baby’s heat. By the time he looked back towards Yuffie, she had already settled the still-sleeping baby in the baby carrier contraption she was wearing. With her tongue sticking out of her mouth, she tucked a fuzzy-looking blanket around the sleeping child.

Tifa had a thoughtful look on her face as she pressed her index finger to her chin, her body once again leaning against Rude—it was almost sickening how lovey-dovey they were. He was happy for his partner because his partner _deserved_ happiness, but…

“Looks like the two of you lucked out,” Tifa mused. “She seems like such an easy baby to take care of. Just remember to feed her milk and try to put her back to sleep if she wakes up and don’t forget the diaper changes!”

“Yup!”

“Sure thing, man,” Reno grunted out as he made his way over to the box of supplies to lift it up. “Sounds easy enough.”

“I hope for your sake that it is,” Tifa responded. “I’ll make sure to keep my phone on, so call me if there’s any emergencies.” By the time they made their way back downstairs with Tifa in tow, Reno was surprised that the bar was still as busy as when they had gone upstairs.

Did these people not need to work? Or was he _really_ starting to get up there in age? He was only thirty-five, for fuck's sake.

“C’mon, old man!” Yuffie chirped, her usual cheeky grin on her face as she tapped her feet quickly by the entrance of Seventh Heaven. Her large shuriken was held tightly in her right hand while the other supported the weight of the baby. “Kiddo’s kinda heavy.”

He raised his eyebrows instead and lifted up the box of baby products higher. “Wanna swap, dipshit?” At her cackles, he shook his head and followed her anyway. “Can’t believe I let you talk me into this bullshit, yo.”

Her laughter grew louder as she opened the door and held it open for him as he walked past. “I did no such thing—you _offered_ up your own apartment by yourself. Admit it, Turkey boy. You totally just wanna help out your super cool awesome drinking partner!” She bounced ahead of him, shooting him a backward glance in the process as her hands held the baby back close to her again. He knew that if she had either of her hands free, she would have been pumping her firsts in the air energetically.

“Just worried ‘bout the kid’s safety,” he muttered defensively. He would’ve killed to have a cigarette right now, except both his hands were occupied and the baby was well within range of him to breathe in secondhand smoke—he was an asshole, not a monster. Taking a quick glance at Yuffie and watching the way she was interacting with the infant—there was something about seeing her hold the child so tenderly and carefully that sent a sharp unsuspecting pang through his chest. 

He brushed the feeling away.

The walk was a relatively silent one and it was unusual for them, being who they were, but Yuffie was singing under her breath and Reno was happy not to have her screeching in his ears for once. Besides, he could feel the beginnings of exhaustion seep into his bones from the lack of sleep last night. He should have gone straight to bed after work instead of bar hopping, but the idea of not seeing the brat after a long week of work didn’t—he stopped his train of thoughts abruptly and tried to focus on the words that she was singing instead. 

Maybe he was a lot more tired than he had realized.

“Five little ducks went swimming one days, down a river far away… Mother duck said ‘quack, quack, quack, quack’. Four little ducks came back…” she sang, her voice taking on a gentle tone that Reno hadn’t heard before. A smile small was on her lips as she sang as her eyes twinkled giddily, the cool breeze causing a small flush to colour her high cheekbones and _still,_ she continued to bounce on her feet as she walked.

He had no idea how she was still so fucking energetic after so many drinks and at so late at night. Had she been drinking cups of coffee with a shitload of sugar the entire day? “The hell kinda song are you singin’ to the kid? Kinda morbid, ain’t it?”

Her smile instantly turned into a scowl. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“You’re singin’ ‘bout ducks swimmin’ away and goin’ missin’. The hell’s wrong with you?”

She rolled her eyes with an exaggerated sigh. _“Gawd._ You haven’t even listened to the whole song yet! Mom goes looking for them at the end and finds everyone, _yo,”_ she mocked, but she slowed her steps and walked right next to him instead. “You pick a song then.”

“Don’t know any kid songs, _yo.”_

“You must know of at _least_ one,” she said as she bumped his arm with her shoulder, making sure not to shake the baby too much. “C’mon, Turkey.”

His eyes glanced over at the baby who was still sleeping, her eyes scrunched up adorably. “She’s fuckin’ asleep. The hell we even singin’ for?”

“A _song,_ Turkey. There’s no way you haven’t picked up a _thing_ from Rude when he puts Lily to sleep! I know for a _fact_ he’s learned a few kiddo lullabies because Tifa made sure I learned them when I had to babysit!”

As a matter of fact, he knew plenty of them because he had spent way too many evenings watching Rude put her to sleep—not that he would ever let her know that. “The one with the spiders,” he muttered, “Not sure who the hell decided that singin’ ‘bout spiders to babies was a good idea.”

Yuffie snickered before raising one of her hands to crawl up his arm, her fingers curled up like spider legs. “Itsy Bitsy spider climbed up the water spout…”

He didn’t pull away from her hands and while he couldn’t quite understand _why,_ he did, however, feel a small urge to chuck the box he was carrying at her head. It was just too bad she was carrying a baby in her arms.

* * *

Reno placed the diaper box down on the coffee table before stretching, loud cracking sounds heard coming from his shoulders and back. His gaze settled on Yuffie who had already made herself at home by turning on all the lights in the apartment and started the stove by boiling a pot of water. Her back was facing him as she read the instructions of the baby formula as she bounced on her feet, the now-awake baby still strapped onto her. He shrugged his suit jacket off before throwing it over the back of the couch and proceeded to pull out the diapers and wipes to place them on the coffee table. They’d just have to change the baby on the carpeted floor or on the couch. He placed the bottles near the sink by Yuffie before returning to the box and placing everything in the corner of the practically empty living room. 

Moving into his bedroom, he grabbed the smallest shirt and pair of shorts he owned and placed it in the washroom along with a brand new toothbrush. It’ll have to do—he didn’t have much more than that. With the way her hair was constantly a mess, he doubted she even knew what a hairbrush was.

As he made his way back to the kitchen, beady little brown eyes followed him and there was something about the way she looked at him that made him want to coo and babble—damn baby.

With her back still facing him, he watched as Yuffie stretched her arm behind her, rolling her shoulders—he heard the tired groan from her lips and the words escaped his mouth before he could hold them back. “Want me to take over?”

“Huh?” She turned around and blinked at him in surprise.

“Your back’s tired. Kid’s like, half your height, short stuff. I can carry her for a bit.”

She glared at him half-heartedly, but he also saw the fleeting flash of appreciation in her eyes. “Dunno if that’s a compliment or insult.”

“Whaddya think?” Taking a few steps closer to her, he turned off the stove as the water started boiling. “Got you a toothbrush and a change of clothes in the bathroom,” he said as he pointed down the hallway towards the bathroom. “Gotta wait for the water to cool down before mixing the powder, yeah? So go get changed first cause you stink, yo.”

With a roll of the eyes, she ignored his dig. “For someone who says he doesn’t pay attention when your partner’s on daddy duty, you sure know a lot about babies,” she said with a teasing tone as she unbuckled the fastener on the baby carrier. “How often do you spend with Rude on daddy duty anyways?”

He wasn’t about to answer her—he was not going to let her know that he spent most of his evenings off work in Rude and Tifa’s living room with a beer as he watched him put the kids down to sleep. He was _definitely_ not going to let her know he would occasionally help with menial chores when Tifa was running the bar downstairs. And he was _absolutely not_ going to admit that he looked forward to their weekends out because no one else would go with him anymore and going alone had lost its charm.

Instead, he helped her struggle to take the baby out of the carrier. As soon as Reno’s hand reached under the baby’s armpits, the baby squealed with delight and began kicking and flailing, causing Yuffie to flinch away in fear for her face while she laughed at the same time.

“Oh, ho-ho… You really like this one, dontcha?” Yuffie teased the baby with a silly grin on her face. “He’s bad news, _yo._ Gotta stay away from boys like this, ya know. You’ll only get your heart broken… Better off finding someone like Baldy or Spikey!” Then Yuffie giggled when another thought crossed her mind. “Or Vince! He’s been like, pining for the same woman for thirty years. _Gawd,_ we have a lot of men pining for women.”

“Tch,” he grunted as he held the baby close to his chest, shoving her with his elbow.

Yuffie cackled. “Don’t be so offended, Turkey! You know it’s true...it’d be a miracle if you even stayed with the same woman for thirty hours!” She danced away from his kick before bounding towards the washroom. And then she peered out from around the corner quickly. “Oh and I’m gonna be taking a quick shower too! I’ll just use your towel, ‘kay thanks byeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”

He shook his head with a snort of amusement. 

“Alright, kid. Looks like it’s just you and me for the next lil bit,” Reno grumbled. “The hell do babies like to do anyways?”

Settling down on the couch with her in his arms, the baby was just happy to be held as she continued to yawn a few times, her eyes wandering the bland walls before landing on him. She gurgled cutely with her button nose and chubby cheeks and he felt his lips curve upwards before a yawn escaped. There was something about holding babies that made him tired—it was the same when Lily was forced into his arms. By the time Yuffie finally exited the bathroom with her damp hair and his towel around her shoulders, he had almost dozed off three times.

Yuffie merely took a quick glance at the two of them, shooting them a grin before prancing around in the kitchen. Reno didn’t even want to know what the hell she was up to—was she hungry again? Didn’t she just have that burger two hours ago at that last bar they were at?

She came bounding back towards the couch a few minutes later with a bottle of baby formula in her hands. “You wanna do the honours?” she asked.

Her face looked more feminine and delicate without the headband and he realized suddenly that it was the first time he had seen her without it—as a matter of fact, it was the first time he had seen her without any of her armor or weapons equipped. Somehow, she managed to look even smaller and more vulnerable than her usual self. His eyes were glued to the way his shirt practically engulfed her body and he could have _sworn_ he had given her a pair of his shorts. Why the hell wasn’t she wearing them?

“Nah,” he muttered distractedly, but still, she had somehow managed to shove the bottle into his grasp before she threw herself on the couch next to him. He fought to keep his gaze anywhere else but her long, creamy legs that were folded under her. “The hell happened to the shorts?”

“Oh!” she exclaimed with a crooked grin. “They were kinda big and kept falling off of me, so I left them in the bathroom. But I sorta spilled some beer on my shorts earlier and didn’t wanna get the bed dirty, so uh,” she paused, giving a small embarrassed cough. “This’ll hafta do for now.”

A small whine escaped the baby’s lips and they both jumped, surprised by the sound, having already forgotten that there was a third person in the room with them. The infant was eyeing the bottle greedily as her hands swung around wildly, her head turning side to side. Reno had never personally fed a baby before, but having already seen Rude do it multiple times, he tried to prop her up slightly before shoving the bottle into her mouth. She sucked happily as her little fingers clamped down on the bottle naturally.

Yuffie made a sound at the back of her throat that Reno thought sounded like a mouse squeaking. “Omigawd! So fricken cute! I remember when Lily was this tiny! You really need a name, ya know?”

“Thought I was offerin’ up my place. The hell happened to you doin’ everything else?”

With a giggle, she fell back into the couch as her legs kicked up. “But you’ve got the magic touch! Look! She _lovessssssssss_ you!”

His gaze drifted back down towards the bundle in his arms and he had to admit that the kid was cute. It was a good thing she couldn’t talk yet and demand things because he wasn’t sure he could really refuse her—he had enough trouble turning down Marlene half the time she came up with ridiculous demands and he had no doubt Lily would be worse once she started to _actually_ talk.

“Dipshit.”

“C’mon! You loooooooooove me!”

Before long, the baby finished the bottle and Yuffie, having foresight for once, kept the towel around her shoulder as she took the baby back in her arms. With the infant’s head looking over Yuffie’s shoulder, Yuffie patted her on the back gently like Tifa had taught her before—

_Buuuuuuuuuuurp._

“That’s _gross,_ yo.” Reno grimaced as he noticed the amount of spit up on his towel. “That’s gonna be goin’ in the wash.”

Yuffie looked a little green as she wrinkled her nose in disgust. After having made sure that nothing else was coming up anymore, Yuffie struggled to take off the onesie—which was now sporting a shit stain near the crotch area and almost caused Reno to gag and die a little inside. And while the diaper itself didn’t _smell_ terrible because Reno was pretty sure whatever Lily shat out smelled far, far worse, the look and colour of the liquid shit looked disgusting.

“Urk.”

“Fuck. You throwin’ that shit in my washing machine?” He had moved far away and was observing her from the kitchen now.

“Wait. You got an in-suite washing machine?” She was staring at him with wide eyes and was that jealousy he saw? “D’you even know how to _use_ one? Wait, wait, wait. Does that mean I can wash my beer-stained shorts and wear them tomorrow?”

Reno scowled in response. “I know how to use one. I’m not some spoiled little princess.”

She scoffed before turning around and cooed at the baby, placing her inside the sleeping sack and cheering slightly when the baby snuggled into it happily. “You’re used to this, huh? Well, better get sleeping cause Turkey here’s being a grumpy shit. It’s past two in the morning and the old man needs his beauty sleep, ya know?” She continued to babble to the baby, her voice much quieter and much more soothing than her usual hyperactive self.

Leaning against the wall, Reno couldn’t help but stare at her back as she bent forward towards the couch. His gaze travelled up the expanse of her bare, shapely legs with quiet appreciation—the little shit had legs up to her fucking neck and he’d always _known_ that, but it was the first time she wasn’t wearing any shorts or boots. A large part of him wished he owned a shorter shirt because the view would have been that much more interesting.

The sudden sound of the baby yawning caused his thoughts to stop in its track. “Guest room’s by the entrance,” he said as he signaled towards it with his head. Fighting back a yawn, he gave one last glance towards the two of them before turning around towards his own room.

He was fucking exhausted.

“Uh… Actually…” Yuffie interrupted, her voice unusually sheepish and he looked back at her over his shoulder. His eyebrow rose up at the sight of her embarrassed grin. “I was thinking that you’d join us?”

He almost choked on his own saliva in surprise and had to force back the sudden image of them sharing a bed. “What?” he spluttered.

Her cheeks turned bright red as she held the baby tightly in her arms and he could tell it took all of her self-restraint not to scream at him like the banshee she usually was. Puffing her cheeks out, she released the air from her mouth, blowing her bangs out of her eyes. “I’m worried the baby will roll, ‘kay? It’s a lot safer if we sandwich her between us, right? I mean, Iunno…” she trailed off before she bit her lips.

And then she was looking at him with those big fucking eyes and he felt his heart stagger.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake—”

The colour on her face grew even darker, if that was even possible. “Fine! Nevermind!” she squeaked, her high-pitched voice cutting Reno off. “Forget I said anything. I guess it _is_ totally kinda awkward, nyuk, nyuk…”

“Yuff—”

“‘Kay! Say g’night to the turkey!” Yuffie almost tripped over her words before she turned around and practically ran to the guest room as she called over her shoulders, “Nighty night!”

In a few large strides, he caught up to her and clamped his hand down on her wrist with a harsh sigh. He caved even though he knew he was going to regret it. “C’mon brat. Let’s use my bedroom at least. I’ve got a bigger mattress.”

She froze in her tracks before she turned her head around with her eyes widened almost comically. When she realized the implications, her face contorted into a disgusted wince. “Ewww… I don’t wanna be sleeping where you sleep with—”

“I don’t bring women home,” he grunted out. This was not a conversation he had ever imagined having with _her,_ of all people, and it was going down a direction he didn’t want it to go. If it wasn’t so difficult for him to fall asleep on a different mattress, he would have gladly gone to sleep in the guest bedroom just to avoid this talk.

“Oh!” Yuffie exclaimed as her mouth dropped open. And then she shuffled her feet awkwardly on the carpet as she peered up at him while biting her lips, the corners of her lips lifting up. “Uh… I guess that’s okay then?”

The fuck was he getting himself into?

She walked past him and hurried inside his room—all signs of embarrassment from just moments ago disappeared as soon as she stepped into his bedroom with him trailing behind. “Oh my _gawd!_ You’ve got a fricken _king size bed?_ Wowowowowowwwwwwwww!” she screeched excitedly before turning around with an apprehensive look on her face. “Wait, you don’t roll, right? ‘Cause that’s like, totes gonna be a problem if you roll over the baby and kill her or something.”

He scoffed as he rolled his eyes. “I don’t roll. I just like a big bed.”

Yuffie’s face brightened as she grabbed onto his arm impulsively and he fought back the urge to pull away. “This is _soooooo_ cool! It’s gonna be my first time sleeping in such a big bed!”

“Aren’t you a fuckin’ princess?”

She responded with a loud snort. “You seen my hovel of a place in Wutai?” She passed the baby into his arms and Reno clutched at her tightly, not having expected the sudden transfer. Clambering onto the bed, she quickly reorganized the pillows so that there was more space between the two sets of pillows—a place for the baby to sleep. And just as suddenly as she handed the baby to Reno, she took her back and placed her down gently in the middle of the bed before crawling in next to her. With a tired yawn, she curled up on her side before sighing in contentment and throwing the blankets on herself.

And then she looked up at him with her eyebrow quirking upwards, the blanket covering everything but her face

Even then, he couldn’t help but stare at the sight of her in his bed—or rather, imagine the sight underneath the covers.

The baby, as if sensing that it was time to sleep, yawned with her mouth opened adorably before shuffling into a comfortable position, her hands by her head.

Reno flicked the lights off, but even then, his feet wouldn’t budge.

Yuffie Kisaragi was in his bed. And she wasn’t wearing any fucking shorts. That glimpse of her in his bed before she had thrown the duvet on—he could still _see_ the way his shirt rode up her lengthy legs. And that impish look in her eyes while her hair was still moist from the shower… He couldn’t remember the last time he’d spent _any_ time with a woman in bed and had no intentions of sleeping with her—his mind couldn’t forget the fact that she was _fucking half-naked._

The baby in between them was a problem—a good problem—because it would stop him from doing anything completely fucking _stupid._

His pants felt uncomfortably tight suddenly and still, his feet wouldn’t budge.

“Carrot Top… You coming or what?”

He let out his breath slowly as he willed his heart rate to return to a normal speed. Finally, he responded, “I smell like shit. Gonna take a quick shower and throw your dirty-ass clothes in the laundry first.” Before she could respond, he turned back around the way he came, snagging some clothes from the closest drawer.

He needed a really cold fucking shower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve been through this baby thing before, and you would think it would be easy for me to write about, but nope. Apparently I don’t remember much of what happened when my kids were babies (which really wasn’t that long ago).
> 
> As usual, comments and suggestions are very much appreciated!


	3. Sunday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Do babies do anythin’ other than eat, shit, and sleep?” Reno asked wryly, but the quirk of his lips revealed that he didn’t mind that the baby was sleeping in his arms so much.
> 
> “Do Turks wear anythin’ other than their suits?” Yuffie asked in the same dry tone. 

It was nearing three in the morning by the time he finally returned from his freezing cold shower. He was tired and cranky as hell but even then he felt jittery because he still couldn’t fucking get the image of her legs and her underwear out of his mind—at least she was asleep and so was the kid. His body slipped quietly between the sheets and he looked wearily at the plain ceiling of his room as his eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness. He shifted his weight as he tried to relax and when he couldn’t, he turned on his side to look at the baby, making sure she was still breathing.

His gaze drifted involuntarily to the other person occupying his bed—the dim city lights illuminated her face.

Her eyes were closed as both her hands curled under the pillow and she was breathing deeply—her soft lips parted slightly as her hair fell haphazardly around her face. He had never seen her so still before. Part of him had expected her to be a loud snorer because  _ everything _ else about her was noisy and obnoxiously loud. And he had always known she looked young, but now, with the peaceful look on her face, she somehow looked even younger.

Moving slightly in place, he hoped to find a comfortable position soon. He usually slept naked and sprawled in the middle of the bed, but now with two thirds of it being hijacked, he was finding it difficult to find a spot he liked. Plus, he felt the tag on his shirt rub against his neck and the elastic of his shorts pull at his waist.

“Didya drown in the shower or somethin’?” Yuffie slurred suddenly, her voice heavy with sleep.

“Shaddup and go to sleep,” he muttered back instantly.

There was a moment of silence and Reno wondered briefly if she had fallen back asleep or if she had been talking in her sleep in the first place. But then he heard her shuffling under the covers and he glanced over just in time to see her crack open her eyes. Peering down at the baby with barely opened eyes, she placed a finger under her nostril to check for breathing before she snuggled back under the sheets.

And then she yawned. “You’re such a cranky old man.”

“You’re such a dipship.”

She snorted out a sleepy laugh. “G’night, Turkey.”

He felt his lips curl up involuntarily. “G’night, brat.”

* * *

The problem with not being used to sharing a bed with anyone—not that he had ever found the need to get used to sharing a bed with someone—was that he woke up to the slightest movements. So when the bed shifted abruptly, his eyes snapped open almost instantaneously and his left hand grabbed the loaded gun that had been hidden underneath the bedside table. Within seconds, he was wide awake and had his gun aimed towards the door.

Except the only one that had moved was Yuffie—she was sitting up in bed with her fists clenched tightly to her side. Her teeth were biting down on her lip as if she had been holding down a scream and her body shook as she tried to control her irregular breathing. He hesitated briefly before placing the gun back and his hand hovered over her shoulder for a moment before he changed his mind and brought it back to his side.

“You good, brat?”

She wavered for a moment before nodding. The flash of fear that overtook her expression told him she clearly wasn’t fine.

Double-tapping on his phone, the bright screen turned on to tell him that he’d only been sleeping for two hours. It explained the dark skies outside and why he felt completely exhausted still. A large part of him regretted offering his apartment up to her to stay in because he was forced to admit that there was  _ more _ to this woman who he spent every weekend drinking with. He had been happy staying ignorant and thinking that she was nothing but his obnoxiously loud and brash drinking sidekick. Except now he couldn’t push the feeling of worry from his chest.

Because she was clearly displaying signs of suffering recurring nightmares and it was not normal to wake up like that unless something out of the ordinary had happened. His mind briefly flashed back to Sector Seven and how he had had consecutive nightmares for weeks following that incident. To his knowledge, none of Yuffie’s recent assignments had been out of the ordinary—what the hell was she having a nightmare about?

“Sorry,” she rasped out, her voice raw and hoarse. She cleared her throat and tried again. “Gotta get some water. Be right back.”

Nodding in response although he was sure she hadn’t even looked his way, his head sank back down into the pillow. He’d wait till she got back and make sure she was fine before drifting back to sleep again. His eyes just felt dry and he needed to close them for a moment.

The next time he opened his eyes, he was alone in bed and the bright sunlight was filtering through the curtains, giving the entire room a faint yellow glow. Feeling a lot more energized than the last time he woke up, he couldn’t help but feel a little concerned—had Yuffie gone back to bed after her nightmare? Kicking off the covers, he tied his hair up into its usual ponytail before grabbing the phone and opening the door.

The rich, dark scent of coffee wafted towards him from the kitchen and he instantly made his way over while his eyes scanned the apartment. The television was already on with the volume muted and Yuffie was sitting up on the couch with her eyes closed and head tilted backwards—her entire body was leaning back into the couch. Her hands were holding onto the baby tightly and the baby, too, seemed to be sleeping soundly with her head resting comfortably against the hollow of her neck. An empty baby bottle sat in front of them on the coffee table.

He must have been a lot more tired than he had realized because he couldn’t recall hearing the baby cry or feeling the bed shift as Yuffie scooped the baby away.

Pouring himself a steaming cup of brew, he leaned forward against the countertop to study the scene in front of him as he took small sips—a strangely affectionate feeling came over him as he watched them. The two of them looked similar enough that they could be mother and daughter with the dark hair, dark eyes and pale skin. And just from seeing the way Yuffie cared about the child that wasn’t even her own, he knew she’d be a better mother than a lot of people. His mind flashed briefly back to his own birth giver and he felt a scowl cross his face.

And then another thought crossed his mind—he needed to call Elena who was no doubt already up. Pushing himself off the countertop, he refilled his cup to the brim before making his way to the balcony and quietly closing it behind him. With the hot mug on the ledge, he pulled out his phone and ID card that he had picked up from the dead man’s wallet last night—it felt like such a long time ago already.

The ringback tone rang for a short moment before he heard the distinct sound of the call connecting. 

_ “You’re up early on a Sunday morning.” _ Her voice sounded impossibly perky at this hour.

He let out a snort. “Need a coupla favours from you, yo. You got pen and paper?”

He heard some shuffling on the other end of the line before she hummed in agreement.  _ “Got it. How can I help?” _

“Last name on ID Card is Ikeda. That’s I-k-e-d-a. First name Levi, L-e-v-i. I need the contact for next of kin and I need you to pull some strings and see if you can get us a doctor’s appointment for a baby for today.”

He could hear the confusion in her voice.  _ “Next of kin? Doctor for a baby…? You mean a pediatrician, right?” _

“Sure, man. We found a dead body after drinkin’ last night.” A sharp exhale came through from his speaker. “Dad left the baby in a box before getting robbed.”

The sadness in her voice was palpable as it cut through the heavy silence.  _ “Is the baby with Tifa then?” _

Casting a look over his shoulder, he was surprised to see Yuffie blinking sleepily at him through the balcony door—her eyes were unfocused as she brought up her hand to her eyes and tried to rub the tiredness away.

“Kiddo’s with us,” he admitted and unsurprisingly, he heard the sudden drop of her pen and the abrupt shocked inhale of breath. “‘Lena,” he muttered warningly. “Don’t say whatever you were plannin’ on sayin’.”

It wasn’t hard to imagine the high-pitched squeals of happiness that was, without doubt, threatening to escape her lips.  _ “But—” _

“No,” he snapped back. “Don’t even think ‘bout it.”

_ “Reno—” _

“Call me if you’ve got a lead.” He hung up before she could say anything more about Yuffie. Just because he enjoyed spending the weekends with the brat did not mean he was interested in a long-term relationship with the little shit. He wasn’t interested in having the rabid group of ex-terrorists on his ass whenever she threw a temper tantrum, which she would no doubt do, and he definitely wasn’t interested in everyone being invested in a relationship that would certainly end up a dumpster fire. They got along well because they saw each other two nights out of the entire week with the occasional work run-ins and missions. It was unquestionable that one of them would kill the other if they saw each other any more than that.

His gaze paused on the scenery of Edge as he took a few gulps of coffee before he made his way back into the apartment.

“Mornin’,” Yuffie whispered with a yawn as she looked at him again. There was something about the way she sat there on his couch, looking so comfortable but drowsy that made him want to smile.

“Hey,” he said instead as he brought the mug to his lips again. “Thanks for the brew.”

She pouted slightly. “Made it for myself, ya know. But then she fell asleep on me and I couldn’t put her down and I guess I fell asleep too.”

With a quirk of his lips, he walked to the kitchen to pull out another mug, throwing in a couple of spoonfuls of sugar and a spoonful of powdered creamer before pouring the coffee. Her hands reached for the cup greedily before he even had a chance to sit down next to her. Sighing in contentment when her fingers managed to grasp the mug, she leaned her head away from the baby’s head almost comically before she took a sip, cursing it for being scorching hot, before taking a few more gulps.

Then she passed it back to him and he took the mug back from her wordlessly.

His mind drifted back to last night involuntarily, of how she had woken up abruptly and while part of him was curious, the other part of him was glad to stay oblivious—he needed a drinking partner to bar hop with, not someone to talk about  _ feelings _ and how fucked up their lives were. 

Frankly, it seemed like she, too, was more than happy to sweep whatever had happened under the rug. Neither of them liked to talk about their emotions—it was probably why they got along so well.

“‘Lena’s looking for next of the next of kin and seeing if she can pull some strings to see a doc today.”

"Mmkay." She yawned again and leaned her head against his shoulder. Her dishevelled hair tickled his cheek and the scent of his shampoo in her hair was enough to make his head swim.

He didn't have the urge to push her away and he realized with befuddlement that he was enjoying the way her body was nestled next to his far too much.

* * *

At the promise of more clothes and extra diapers that Tifa found at the back of the guestroom, Reno and Yuffie accepted the open invitation to crash Rude and Tifa’s weekly family brunch after the doctor appointment. Their weekly brunches were always held at the New Midgar Diner, a homely breakfast joint near the bar, at exactly eleven in the morning every Sunday. They were there so often the waitresses practically knew the family’s orders by now.

“So the doc gave her a clean bill of health!” Yuffie cheered giddily, secretly relieved, as she patted the sleeping baby’s head. As soon as they had sat down at their seats, Yuffie fed the baby a bottle and she had passed out immediately. Her other hand was wrapped around her third cup of coffee of the day as she drank the sweetened concoction, being careful not to drip it on the infant who was strapped to her chest. “Doc thinks baby’s around four months old and she seems to be doing well.”

“Well, that’s great news!” Tifa responded with a smile before her gaze glaced sideways towards Marlene who was reading a book and Denzel who was on his phone. She let out a soft, exasperated sigh before turning back around, refocusing her attention back on Yuffie. “I’m amazed you somehow managed to get an appointment right away too. Pediatricians are usually booked up days in advance, at the very least.”

Yuffie’s eyes drifted over to Rude and Reno, who she noticed were  _ still _ in their work uniform, despite the fact that it was outside work hours and neither of them were on the clock. They were focused on their own conversation, or rather, Rude was focused on Reno’s monologue about whatever gossip Reno was spreading—the asshole talked just as much as her and he always gave  _ her _ shit for it. 

Rolling her eyes, she turned back towards Tifa. “I was told ‘Lena pulled a few strings or something. Guess it really helps to know people in high places.”

Tifa shot her an amused smile. “Sorry. Did you say something, Lady Kisaragi?”

Yuffie narrowed her eyes, glowering at her before her gaze trailed down to the little girl sitting in a high chair between the two of them. “Your mom’s lucky I like her,” she muttered quietly to Lily. Lily merely looked up at her with her large dark eyes as she chewed on her sippy cup straw, legs swinging.

Tifa swatted Yuffie’s shoulder playfully as she gave a small laugh. “Joking, joking. So did Elena find the mom yet? Or anyone?”

Shaking her head, Yuffie took another sip, noting that her cup was nearly empty. “Still looking. She says she’ll call Reno as soon as any information comes in, but it’s her day off too, not that any of them really  _ know _ what a day off is,” she said as she looked pointedly at the two of them in their suits.

Just as Yuffie was sure Tifa was about to probably complain how Rude was  _ always _ answering the phone—probably from Reno because that turkey needed a  _ life _ outside of bar hopping and work—their conversation was abruptly interrupted.

“Oh my!” Yuffie had to force herself not to wince at the jarring squeal that was coming from halfway across the diner and  _ gawd _ that better not have woken up the baby. One brief glance at the infant nuzzled against her chest told her that she was still sleeping deeply. The waitress approached and all Yuffie could focus on was the coffee stain on her bright white apron. “Are they sisters? They’re soooo cute! What are their names?” She must have been a new hire because everyone who worked at the diner usually knew Tifa’s name already.

Even the two Turks had stopped their discussion to look over their shoulders and Denzel, who had been on his phone since the beginning, looked up with a raised eyebrow—Yuffie made a mental note to let Tifa know that  _ maybe _ it wasn’t a good idea to let the kiddo be around Reno so much.

Tifa smiled politely as she responded, “Oh no. They’re not.”

Yuffie tried hard not to roll her eyes at the small talk, but she must not have been very successful because Reno took one brief look at her and started snickering as soon as he saw her face. There were many reasons why Tifa was her best friend, but the best reason, other than her being an amazing friend, a great cook and a great barmaid who was equally good at ass-kicking, was the way Tifa was a people person—she was not. Tifa knew what to say at any given moment—Yuffie had no tact and no patience for any of it. Tifa made going out in public easier for Yuffie because she was sure she’d insult someone one way or another and then get in trouble somehow.

The moment they finished ordering their food, Yuffie practically sagged into her seat with a groan. “My  _ gawd. _ Small talk sucks.” It didn’t help that the waitress kept yammering on about the two babies and how well-behaved Marlene and Denzel were instead of taking their orders.

Reno’s mouth twitched into a smirk. “That’s how I feel whenever I spend any time with  _ you, _ princess.”

“Jerk. That’s how Rude feels anytime he has to listen to you yak.” She stuck her tongue out at him. “But at least she’s right about one thing. Kiddo doesn’t have a name yet and we can’t just keep calling her ‘baby’.”

“And why the—” Reno scowled as Rude elbowed him in the side while nodding towards Marlene and Denzel.  _ “Heck _ not?” Yuffie almost laughed at the look of displeasure on his face at being censored. “It ain’t like you’re gonna keep her.”

Marlene looked up from her novel, her eyes gleaming with interest. “What do you plan on naming her, Yuffie?” Yuffie noted with amusement that she seemed to have completely ignored Reno’s outburst.

Yuffie looked down and studied the baby in her arms before looking at Lily next to her. “Sayuri,” she murmured with a small grin on her face. Her fingers weaved through the baby’s wispy hair gently. “It means small lily.”

Tifa nodded in approval. “Small lily. I guess I can see why she’d think that they were siblings, with the dark hair and pale skin.”

_ “Really?”  _ Yuffie asked incredulously. “With that argument, we’d be siblings too, Teef. And jeez, we look  _ nothing _ alike.”

“You can say that again,” Reno muttered under his breath.

“What was that, Turkey?!”

“Will you be taking the day off tomorrow then, Yuffie?” Rude interrupted what would no doubt have become a verbal spar.

“Uh…”

Reno snickered, unable to contain his sarcasm. “Of  _ course  _ she’s thought that far ahead.” She was sure his snickers would have turned into loud, uncontrollable guffaws if they hadn’t been in public. “D’you even know who she is? She flies off at the seat of the pants more than  _ I _ do, man!”

If Yuffie wasn’t holding onto the sleeping baby and afraid of waking her up, she would have stood up to thwack him solidly upside the head. Instead, she decided to take the high road—Tifa’s warning stare had nothing to do with it—she brushed off his comments instead. “Guess I’ll call Reeve and let him know and see what he says. I don’t have any assignments scheduled, plus, I’m supposed to be finishing up my mission reports from last week. So I can totes pull off just staying in for office work for the week.”

Thankfully, Sayuri stayed asleep for the duration of lunch and Yuffie had eaten the entire meal with a small piece of napkin positioned on Sayuri’s head. Even with Lily’s intermittent cries whenever she dropped food onto the ground, Sayuri never once stirred and Tifa had reiterated how  _ lucky _ Yuffie was—Lily had never allowed Tifa or Rude to have one peaceful meal since she’d been born until she turned two. Just as Yuffie placed the last bite of burger in her mouth, Sayuri had started stirring and Marlene had stood up from her seat, wanting to play peek-a-boo with the two girls.

While Yuffie had always dreaded the thought of having kids because Godo had been pushing for her to get married and pop them up since she turned twenty-one, she had to admit that it wasn’t as terrible as she had initially imagined. Just from listening to Tifa vent about parenting, she was sure parenthood was a whole lot more difficult than what she had experienced, but part of her had to admit that she  _ had _ enjoyed the time spent with Sayuri so far. It felt so  _ normal,  _ spending time with the children and having a weekly Sunday brunch and while she knew her life as a mother would look  _ nothing _ like this—she was sure there would be a ton of politics and red tape that she would learn and deliberately ignore—she decided then and there that  _ this _ would definitely be a tradition she would steal from Tifa once she had her own family.

Despite parenthood being pleasant, what  _ wasn’t _ pleasant, however, was her back. She’d been carrying Sayuri since they had left the house to go to the pediatrician hours ago—her shoulders were aching, her back felt strained and her hips felt incredibly tight. The only relief she had gotten the last little while was when Tifa and Marlene had offered to hold the baby temporarily. Stretching her arms over her head, she arched her back and heard a couple of cracks before she stood up.

“Gimme.” She felt a sharp nudge on her upper arm.

Turning around, she looked at Reno dumbly. “Wha—"

He cocked an eyebrow at her while somehow simultaneously rolling his eyes. “What’d you not understand ‘bout—" 

Her mouth dropped open in surprise, though she recovered quickly. “You  _ want _ to carry Sayuri?” 

“Sure. Till we get back to the car anyway,” he said with a shrug, as if that offer meant nothing. And then his lips curled mockingly. “Your back’s hurtin’, wimp.”

Except she saw right through his snarky remark and Yuffie couldn’t control the warmth from seeping into her cheeks. Her heart jumped to her throat everytime he showed  _ this _ side of him—how perceptive and caring he was even though she was sure he hid this part of himself from other people. It was a side of him that she didn’t see often and each and every time he unintentionally showed it to her, she couldn’t help but feel almost  _ privileged  _ because he had somehow deemed her worthy enough.

“Pfft!” she responded with pretend scathe. “If you  _ really _ think  _ you  _ can handle her.” And then with a scoff and her lips twitching up almost involuntarily, she passed Sayuri to him.

Sayuri squealed as her tiny little arms and legs flailed just as the  _ sight _ of Reno’s face and Yuffie couldn’t control the bubble of laughter that escaped. It didn’t help that Reno was clearly  _ melting on the spot,  _ even though his lips were pressed thinly as he tried his hardest to suppress the smile that was pulling at the corners of his mouth.

“Daddy’s little girl, huh,” the waitress commented with a small laugh as she cleaned the table. “Aren’t you just adorable,” she cooed to Sayuri. And then turning towards Reno she said, “Enjoy the rest of your Sunday with your family! Kiddos grow up real quick and soon they won’t wanna spend  _ any _ time with you.”

Instead of taking offense to it, Yuffie joined her giggles because Reno’s cheeks had tinged a dark pink. She took the opportunity to pass Sayuri over and Reno took her in his arms while Sayuri instantly twisted her fists in his hair.

“Daddy’s little girl, huh,” Yuffie cooed at him teasingly once they were far enough from the waitress as they made their way out of the diner—she grabbed onto his arm and peered up to his face.

“Fuck off,” he muttered, quietly enough not to get in trouble with either Rude or Tifa.

Yuffie cackled and noticed with a small flutter in her chest that he didn’t bother pulling away again.

* * *

Yuffie rubbed her damp hair with the new non-spat-on towel as she stepped out of the bathroom, shivering slightly at the abrupt change in temperature. It probably would have been a good idea to wear something  _ more _ than just her now-washed shorts and Reno’s shirt, but it was threadbare and oh-so soft, probably from years of washing—she was tempted to steal it. It went just down to her thighs and was tight enough on her that she doubted it still fit Reno at all—as discreetly as she could, she tilted her head downwards to take a subtle sniff—it smelled  _ just _ like him.

“You sniffin’ my shirt?” Came his mocking comment in that familiar drawl.

...So damn busted.

_ “No!” _ she shrieked even though she was pretty sure she hadn’t been all that discreet. Why was he even looking at her when the tv was on? “Who the hell would smell your shirt? Urk!” But she could feel the blush spread up from her neck and up to her cheeks and her face felt so hot all of a sudden. “Grossness!”

With the way his eyes gleamed, she had no doubt he saw it and saw  _ through _ her as well.

“Gah! You’re such a self-centered piece of…” her mutters died out and she froze in her steps when she caught sight of the couch. Sayuri had fallen asleep in Reno’s arms, one of her little hands clutching tightly to his hair, while the other clutched at his dress shirt. “Oh.”

“Do babies do anythin’ other than eat, shit, and sleep?” he asked wryly, but the quirk of his lips revealed that he didn’t mind that she was sleeping in his arms so much.

“Do Turks wear anythin’ other than their suits?” she asked in the same dry tone. And then she reached down to her pockets, only to realize her phone wasn’t in there before she ran back towards the bathroom to grab her phone. Without warning, she snapped a picture of the two of them on the couch. “Gonna be getting a lotta blackmail material, old man. Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk…”

“Tch.” He looked like he didn’t even care. “You call Tuesti yet?”

She sank her body into the couch next to him and swiped up the remote control to turn up the volume as she started flipping through the channels. “Yeap. He says it’s fine… Even offered to let me stay at home instead, but I told him my laptop was at the WRO and I really wanna get my reports done. And it's probably better for me at the office anyways. I’m sure I’ll die of boredom if I just stay here, plus I’m hopeful that ‘Lena will have some news when she goes back to the office too.”

“Hm,” he murmured lazily.

“Yup.” She tilted her head sideways to look at him. “Sorry, Carrot Top. Won’t be able to bar hop with you today with the little bugger. Rain check till next week?”

Secretly, she was glad that she wasn’t going to a bar tonight. She knew that it had been less than twenty-four hours since they had found Sayuri in an alley—but the day had felt  _ so long _ and while she was usually energetic regardless of what life threw at her, she felt  _ so _ tired. It might’ve had to do with the constant diaper changes and running around making sure the baby was fed and happy. Who knew it was so exhausting taking care of a little cute thing like her?

Reno shrugged disinterestedly. “Sure. Now go grab me a beer, brat.”

She blinked in surprise. “You know you can go to the bar, right?” she asked as her eyebrow rose. 

“I know.”

“Is it cause you think I’ll hack into that safe in the back of your closet? I promise I’ll behave.” She cast him the most trustworthy grin she could, which probably didn’t do much to appease him.

He scoffed. “Don’t even wanna know how you know, dipshit.”

She giggled slightly. “You’ll never know my trade secrets, you ass.” When it didn’t look like he was going to move at all or even pass the baby over, she couldn’t stop her curious question. “So are you staying here then?”

“Been waitin’ for a beer,” he responded breezily instead.

Yuffie couldn’t help but stare at him dubiously, part of her wanting to place her palm against his forehead to see if he was having a fever.

“Didya want me to say  _ ‘please’, _ princess?” 

Her face blushed involuntarily and she threw on a scowl. “Yeah, Turkey. That’d be nice cause manners and all, ya know?”

_ “Please, princess,” _ he said snarkily with a snort.

Sticking her tongue out as a response, she jumped up from the couch and strode towards the kitchen before pulling out two beers—she was desperately trying to will away her reddened cheeks. Dammit. Why was he choosing to stay at home with  _ her _ instead of hanging out with Rude at the bar? Even so, she couldn’t stop her heart from skipping in her chest. Cracking both beers open, she sauntered back towards the couch and handed him one before resettling herself back down on the couch.

_ “Thanks,  _ brat.”

“You  _ should _ be thankful that the Great Ninja Yuffie is willing to get you beer.”

He chuckled. “Sure.”

“Hmph.” Her damn blush still wouldn’t go away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you’ve noticed it, yes, there is a distinct lack of carseats in this fic. For some reason, I don’t feel like they’d have something like that in the World of FF7… I feel like children's safety just isn’t that big of a priority for them lol.
> 
> As usual, comments and kudos are very much appreciated!


	4. Monday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You bought toys?” Yuffie asked as she reached inside the bag and pulled out a rattle before seeing a fabric book and a small teether toy.
> 
> Reno shrugged coolly. “You said she was bored.”
> 
> “I also asked if you were at work, you slacker.”
> 
> “Took an extended lunch."

The parking lot was still practically empty with a few cars scattered around by the time they arrived at the WRO building. They got there much earlier than she was used to since they had to account for Reno’s travel time to get to work back in Edge. As he pulled the car into a spot, she couldn’t help but study him out of the corner of her eye—he’d been the one to casually offer her a ride to work and it was another example of him being secretly thoughtful, though he’d never admit it. The sound of the trunk popping open brought her out of her thoughts and she hopped out of the car along with Sayuri, who was strapped tightly to her before grabbing the bag from the trunk.

“You sure you got everythin’?” Reno asked as he peered at her through the passenger window, his fingers drumming restlessly on the steering wheel.

“Think so!” she chirped as she glanced down into the massive bag of  _ stuff _ she had brought to work, fumbling a bit with the heaviness of the bag. “I’ve got the formula and bottles, diapers and change of clothes. I  _ think  _ I’ve got everything.”

His mouth opened slightly before he shook his head to himself and snapped it shut instead.

With a quick shrug, she reassured him that they would be fine. “Worst-case scenario, I’ll make Cat-boy drive me to Edge to buy some supplies? Plus,” she said with a grin, “You’re only twenty minutes away. Maybe I’ll call you up instead and make you bring me stuff instead.”

He gave a snort. “You gonna call me at lunchtime, ain’t ya?”

Her mouth dropped open. “Omigawd, I didn’t even  _ think  _ about that. Are you offering to bring take-out or something? I mean, the food at the cafeteria isn’t terrible, but it’s not  _ great _ —speaking of which, I really oughta tell Reeve to hire Tifa or something as a cook—”

“Just text me when you’re off,” he interrupted her tangent with an amused lift of his lips.

She couldn’t help her heart from lurching slightly at his offer because he was going to  _ drive her again _ and thank gawd she wasn’t going to have to make that long ass trek back to Edge with a baby strapped to her and a huge bag of crap. “‘Kay thanks byeeeeeeee!” She waved enthusiastically as he rolled the windows back up.

Yuffie stayed in her spot, watching the car disappear into the distance before she bounded towards the entrance of the WRO building. By the time she was halfway across the parking lot, her eyes caught the familiar sight of a man in a formal dark blue trench coat. Instead of screeching his name as loud as she could to get his attention like she usually would, she approached him at a slower jog, making sure to support Sayuri’s neck.

It was only when she got closer that she finally half-shouted his name. “Heya Cat-boy!”

Luckily for her, he seemed to have heard her because he stopped in his steps and turned around with a raised eyebrow, perhaps surprised that she had made her way to work so early on a Monday morning—she was usually half suffering from a hangover. Except his eyes quickly found its way to Sayuri and Yuffie watched as his mouth opened slightly in recollection at her phone call from yesterday. Making his way towards the two of them leisurely, he looked every bit the role of the world leader that he had taken up.

Her lips curled up in amusement as she recalled the way the annoying robotic plush that  _ he _ had been controlling that had even driven  _ her _ insane during the early days of her joining AVALANCHE.

“You’re here early, Yuffie,” Reeve said before his gaze studied her strangely with a small frown. It took a few moments before he spoke again. “Your weapon?”

“Didn’t bring it,” Yuffie responded with a grin as she held up the large bag of baby supplies. “Kinda got my hands full, ya know.” And then she turned her body sideways so that Sayuri could see him. “This is Sayuri. Say ‘nice to meetcha, Reevie!’”

Sayuri merely looked at Reeve with mild interest—she didn’t squeal or flail or giggle.

Huh. Maybe she really  _ did  _ like the turkey.

“It’s nice to meet you, Sayuri.” His voice was warm and welcoming as it rumbled through his chest as he leaned over to greet the baby. “I hope your temporary parents haven’t driven you crazy yet.” Straightening himself up, he held out his palm to offer Yuffie a helping hand which she declined. With a small shake of his head, he began his way back towards the building and Yuffie matched his steps.

“Soooo not nice,” she grumbled. “We’re not  _ that _ bad.” And then without really meaning to, Yuffie giggled slightly. “Didya know that Reno’s apparently pretty good with babies? Sayuri  _ adores _ him. Who woulda thought, right?”

“Really?” Reeve asked, not at all attempting to hide his disbelief. When they finally neared the doors, he pulled them open so that Yuffie could slip in.

“Mhmm,” she murmured, nodding a thanks. “She  _ looooooves _ him. Totally squeals and goes crazy anytime he carries her.”

His brows furrowed slightly as the door slammed shut behind him. “I can’t quite...see it.”

“Right? Didn’t think the turkey had it in him either, but...surprise! I’d like to think it was all thanks to Lily, hah.” Nodding enthusiastically, she waved a quick goodbye at Reeve who was walking the opposite direction before she began making her way towards her room, bouncing in her steps.

Even though it had been mere minutes since she had last seen him, she couldn’t help but miss him just a little—she told herself it was because her back hurt and it would’ve been nice if he had been around to carry Sayuri.

* * *

Yuffie slammed the door shut behind her as soon as she reached her room, desperate to escape the curiosity of the gossiping women—she was lucky she had arrived to work early and there were only a handful of them. The WRO was full of secretaries and paper pushers who craved excitement from rumours, and a young  _ single _ woman like her showing up to work with a practically newborn baby had caused them to jump on her like  _ vultures. _ Yuffie was almost sure that by the time lunchtime arrived, gossip of her would have already spread like wildfire. It wouldn’t completely astound her if she got a call from Godo himself regarding her having a child out of wedlock. It didn’t help that Sayuri looked like a smaller, younger version of Yuffie—the resemblance was uncanny, now that she thought of it.

Sighing, she laid Sayuri down on the bed gently, making sure to place her pillows and blankets around her to ensure that she wouldn’t somehow roll and fall to her death. Then she began to rifle through her closet for a few changes of clothes to throw in her backpack. Even though Reno had an in-suite washer and dryer—the lucky bastard—she really wasn’t up to doing laundry if she didn’t need to. With a small cackle to herself, she glanced at the cardboard box that was her makeshift laundry basket almost overflowing with dirty clothes.

Sayuri seemed entirely content to lay on her back to stare at the unfamiliar ceiling at first and Yuffie took the opportunity to pull out her laptop to begin working on the floor. But the silence didn’t last long and Sayuri soon started whining. Yuffie huffed out an annoyed breath before finishing up the sentence she was in the midst of typing—she had completed exactly four sentences.

Checking her diaper quickly and glad that there wasn’t a poop diaper to change, she glanced at the clock—it wasn’t even close to feeding time. Maybe she needed a nap? As soon as Yuffie scooped up the baby, the complaints stopped instantly.

“No way!” she exclaimed, unimpressed. “Don’t tell me you got used to us carrying you, kiddo. I can’t type with you strapped to my chest, ya know? At least not without completely breaking my back anyway.”

With Sayuri still in her arms, she tried hard to think about what Tifa used to do with Lily when she was this young—didn’t she used to do something on the bed? Tummy time? With one hand still holding tightly only the baby, she quickly did some searching on her phone to make sure whatever she planned to do wasn’t going to put the baby at risk.

“All right, Kiddo. Tummy time it is. D’you think you can give me half an hour so I can hopefully finish at least the first page?”

Sayuri gurgled adorably and Yuffie could  _ feel _ herself practically melting on the spot—no wonder Lily had such a strong control over Rude. “Gah! You do  _ not _ play fair!” As soon as Yuffie placed Sayuri with her face down, it seemed as if Sayuri was possessed and all she did was begin to screech murder as if someone was trying to kill her. In the couple of days that Yuffie had known Sayuri, she had  _ never _ heard her scream like that—not even on the night they had found her.

Reluctantly, she picked her up and had her back in her arms and her cries quieted down almost instantly as she caught sight of the pink ribbon fluttering on her arms. Within seconds, Sayuri had reached for it and took it into her mouth.

“Eek! Stop! Don’t do that!” Placing her back on the bed and within mere moments, Sayuri started screeching again, tears rolling down her face as her arms flailed, attempting to reach for Yuffie. “Gah! Just, wait, ‘kay?” she muttered to herself. “Jeez, you’re impatient today. What’s going on, kiddo?”

Her eyes travelled the entirety of her desk before finally settling her gaze on the empty plastic bottle that had been on her desk for months that she  _ still _ hadn’t brought to the recycling bin just outside her room. Perfect. Removing the lid, the distinct sound of the water bottle being crushed in her hands caught the attention of the baby almost instantly and she reached for that instead. When Sayuri had it in her grasp, she giggled adorably, squealing with delight before she began playing it in her hands, squeezing it with as much strength as her stubby little fingers would allow.

Yuffie’s laughter rang out within the small room before she snapped a picture quickly and decided to send it to the person who she hadn’t quite been able to stop thinking about, despite her best efforts. She wondered briefly if Reno was slacking off at his desk or  _ actually _ working, and if she should really interrupt him if he was.

But then again, this was Reno—he was known for lounging around the couch in the office half the time.

* * *

**-Turkeyshit-**

**Kiddo was bored [11:13 a. m.]** **  
** **Had to give her something to play with [11:13 a. m.]**

**You better not be giving her something she can choke on [11:13 a. m.]**

**Wow. Quick response slacker [11:14 a. m.]** **  
** **And u think I’m dumb? [11:14 a. m.]** **  
** **[PICTURE ATTACHED] [11:14 a. m.]**

**Yes [11:14 a. m.]** **  
** **Cute kid [11:15 a. m.]** **  
** **Looks nothin like you [11:15 a. m.]**

**Shut up turkey [11:15 a. m.]**

**Lena got back bout mom [11:15 a. m.]** **  
** **Died from childbirth [11:15 a. m.]**

**Oh man [11:16 a. m.]**

**She’s trying to get in contact with grandparents [11:16 a. m.]**

**K [11:16 a. m.]**

**You working? [11:17 a. m.]**

**Trying to write up mission report [11:17 a. m.]** **  
** **It’s not really working [11:17 a. m.]** **  
** **She’s a handful [11:17 a. m.]** **  
** **U? [11:17 a. m.]**

* * *

When there was no response the next few moments, she couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Chucking the phone back on her desk, she glanced over at Sayuri, who was still completely preoccupied with the empty bottle. Deciding that she would be preoccupied for the next little bit, she grabbed the laptop off the top of her desk before refocusing her attention on the report—she was determined to complete at least the first page today.

Except she hadn’t been able to concentrate for longer than fifteen minutes because that was when Sayuri started whining again. Checking the time, she realized it was close enough to Sayuri’s usual feeding time that it wouldn’t hurt to prepare a bottle—she’d probably have no trouble downing the bottle easily and quickly. Tifa was right—she was a relatively easy baby to take care of.

Shutting the laptop lid with a sigh, she stood up and placed it on her desk, aware that she probably wouldn’t be able to finish even the first page like she had initially planned. As she started mixing up the formula, she made sure to keep half an eye on the whiny baby who was still partly fascinated with the noisy plastic bottle. 

There was only so much to keep her occupied in this tiny ten feet by ten feet room, especially since she lived quite a bit of a nomadic lifestyle. Most of her belongings sat in a cardboard box at her apartment that she rarely visited—this week, she’d been back exactly once. Her eyes continued to study the desk, seeing if there was anything that would keep Sayuri’s attention for a bit longer—maybe she’d try to scrunch up the piece of scrap paper on her desk next.

Her eyes caught sight of the framed picture sitting at the back of her desk and she felt a small form at her lips—it was a photo of AVALANCHE at the Gold Saucer many, many years ago. It took her awhile to realize that it had been seven year since then. Gawd she was getting old.

The sharp wail of complaint from Sayuri’s lips jotted Yuffie out of her thoughts and she brought the bottle over, propping up the baby and allowing her to grab onto it with her little fingers. Sayuri sucked hungrily on the nipple, her little toes wiggling with happiness from being fed. Yuffie couldn’t help the small giggles that escaped her lips—she was so easy to please.

“You’re cute,” she whispered quietly before her tone turned a little more sombre. “Sorry about your mom and dad though. But I promise we’ll find you a good home, ‘kay? Reno and ‘Lena will make sure of it—you don’t even know how much power you’ve got over that turkey.”

Even though Reno was adamant that he didn’t care much for the baby and he was only there to help—forced to help—she saw the way his eyes softened whenever he held Sayuri, whenever her little head was nuzzled at the hollow of his throat as she fell asleep on him.

Yuffie had to bite her lips from smiling at the thought.

A loud knocking at the door almost made her jump up except Sayuri was still midway through the bottle—she was sure she didn’t care enough to know who was on the other side of the door. Anyone who knew her and who she cared enough about knew to text her first—she was rarely in one place at any given time and she was never really in her room except to sleep.

Except the familiar sounds of a door being picked could be heard and she felt her back tense up and her heart race. Who would be so  _ bold, _ picking a door in the WRO building? Did they have a mole? Who would have the security clearance to even get to the residential levels? With her left arm still propping up Sayuri, she used her right hand to reach in the pouch where she carried her arsenal of weapons at all times. Throwing knives between her fingers, she aimed at the door, ready at a moment’s notice to flick her wrist and send them flying through the air. Sayuri, with her large brown eyes, looked up innocently at her, her gaze focused on the weapons curiously as she continued to clutch at her bottle.

And then the door opened wide and Yuffie felt her shoulders sag in relief. She should’ve known. Her knives disappeared back into her pouch.

“Turkey,” Yuffie uttered in surprise. “Aren’t you at work?”

“Yo, brat.” Reno closed the door behind him approaching with his eyebrows cocked, an amused smirk on his lips. A couple of bags were in his hand as he held them up as offering. It almost looked like he was about to toss one at her face before glancing at Sayuri and rethinking that action. Instead, he placed it next to her before placing the other bag on the desk and sinking down in her office chair lazily. “Rude says babies like ‘em.”

Sayuri, having caught sight of who seemed to be her favourite person, forfeited her bottle by dropping it in Yuffie’s lap and flailed towards him. Reno rolled the chair over and scooped her out of Yuffie’s arms.

“You bought toys?” Yuffie asked as she reached inside the bag and pulled out a rattle before seeing a fabric book and a small teether toy.

Reno shrugged coolly. “You said she was bored.”

“I also asked if you were at work, you slacker.”

“Took an extended lunch,” he responded as he bounced Sayuri on his lap—his eyes softened and his lips quirked up gently.

The way he looked at the baby caused an unexpected warmth to blossom inside her chest and she cursed herself for feeling that way about Reno.

She knew the type of man he was and becoming his weekend drinking partner had been an accidental occurrence—Rude had wanted to spend more time at home with Tifa and the children while Elena and Tseng tended to be homebodies outside of work. Yuffie had been the only one out of all his acquaintances who was a night owl, who could stand his arrogant and snarky self for an extended period of time and who frequented the same bars. She had started drinking with him at the beginning because it was fun to rile him up—she hadn’t expected herself to enjoy his company. 

These feelings that she had started to develop for the redheaded Turk were completely  _ unwelcomed. _ She didn’t think she had to listen to everyone’s advice to keep her distance even after  _ everyone _ had warned her away from the beginning—they were  _ just _ drinking buddies and it was fun to have someone to hang out with. And when it became clear to the others that they were  _ just _ that and Reno hadn’t been hanging out with her to get into her pants, there had been some sort of reluctant acceptance. Over the years, the Turks had, afterall, been slowly welcomed as one of their own—they practically treated Seventh Heaven as their home bar on the weekdays. Honestly, even before that, the gang had accepted most of the Turks because they were easy enough to accept, except maybe Reno, who didn’t quite get along with Cid or Barret. Cloud and Vincent merely tolerated the redhead’s presence most days.

But now, out of nowhere…

Pushing away her thoughts and feelings, she beamed at him instead. “Just couldn’t stay away from us, huh Turkey?”

“Guess not,” he muttered. But he was looking at her again in that unnerving intense way and while she didn’t want to look away because dammit he had such nice, green eyes. She felt the beginnings of a blush form at the base of her neck and her heart was racing again but for an entirely different reason.

Why was he looking at her like that?

Blinking in bewilderment from his lack of sarcastic response, she tried desperately to pretend that the way he was staring at her didn’t affect her at all. “Uh, you okay Turkey?”

He stood up and readjusted his hold on Sayuri before grabbing the bag he had left on her desk and walking towards the door. Then looking back at her over his shoulders with one side of his lips quirked up, he asked, “You comin’ for lunch?”

“D’you bring food?” 

His response was merely him lifting up the bag.

“Wait, what?!” Yuffie squealed as she threw the toys on the bed and bounced up from her seat. “Did you  _ really?” _

A snort.

“What’d you buy? And uh, where are we going?”

As they made their way through the building, Yuffie could barely ignore the amount of looks and whispers sent their way even though she was more than used to being at the center of attention. It reminded her of the days when she had first started hanging out with Reno and everyone looked at her like she was about to have her heart broken any day soon. Annoyed, she cast a small glare his way because it was totally his fault that they were in this predicament. Meanwhile, Reno was seemingly oblivious to the staring although she was sure he was more than aware of them.

Her eyes trailed the gleam in his eyes, the quirk of his lips before landing on the curve of his jaw—she didn’t find any of that attractive at all. Nope. 

Asshole.

* * *

“C’mon, kiddo!” Yuffie cheered wildly with her arms flailing as she peered at Sayuri from the edge of the bed.

Sayuri was currently lying down with her tummy pressed tightly against the bed—her head was tilted upwards towards the sound of the new rattle. Her tiny, little hands attempted to grab at the enticing toy that Reno was holding just an inch away from her. A few short moments later, her fingers clamped down on it and she let out a small laughing gurgle, causing Yuffie to squeal in excitement.

Yuffie clapped her hands encouragingly before laughing and falling sideways against Reno’s side, her head bumping against his shoulder.

“Thought you said she wouldn’t do tummy time,” Reno accused, though his tone was more amused than anything.

“Pffffft! She wouldn't do it with me this morning, I swear!" Yuffie stuck her tongue out at him and it was only then that she realized how close her face was to his. She almost squeaked in surprise but settled on using the rare opportunity to study the way he was looking at Sayuri seemingly impassively—but she could interpret the fleeting looking of pride and joy flash across his face and she felt her own breath catch slightly.

And then he turned to look at her with that crooked grin that was pulling at the corner of his lips and she had never been close enough to realize that his green eyes actually had a vivid tint of blue—they were so unbelievably enthralling and  _ deep. _

Oh my  _ gawd. _

Her heart was suddenly hammering against her chest and she could  _ hear _ her blood rushing in her ears.

_ "Eeek!"  _ That gawd awful squeak escaped her lips unintentionally as she stumbled backwards, her limbs flailing before she hopped up to her feet with as much grace as she could muster, her usual cocky grin plastered on her face as she forced a laugh out of herself.

He had his eyebrows raised coolly with that stupid smirk on his face...but was that a flash of disappointment on his face?

_ No way. _ Her imagination must be running  _ wild. _

"Clumsy dipshit,” he scoffed.

"Ahhhhh. Bottle time!" she shouted, her voice so shrill she had to wince—her mind was racing so much she couldn’t even think of a proper retort for his insult. Her legs took her out of the bedroom before he could say anything else and she felt so  _ mortified _ but holy shit did that Turk have nice eyes and had his jaw always been so chiselled and if so, why the hell was that the first time she had noticed it?

Her hands shook slightly as she poured the water in the bottle and measured the formula and she was so desperately glad that he wasn't out quite yet to witness it. Maybe he would feel like hanging out with Rude tonight and she could have a moment to  _ calm down  _ and reorganize her tumultuous thoughts.

This was  _ not _ how her crush with Cloud felt.

Oh my  _ gawwwwwwd. _

By the time Reno exited the room with Sayuri, her nerves had calmed down a bit. The bottle was ready, the television was on and she was more than ready to kick the turkey out of his own apartment. But then he grabbed a couple beers, popped open the caps with one hand and studied her figure for a few long moments before settling down next to her.

He was  _ so close _ that if she shifted just an inch sideways, their legs would be flushed against one another.

It took all of her to pretend that she hadn't noticed his stare.

"I liked it better when you weren't wearin' any shorts."

"Renooooooo!" Her face burned from the blush and she turned to look at him, scowling. "You’re such a perv!"

His lips were quirked upwards and she could not stop the fluttering in her chest. "You've got legs up to your fuckin' neck, princess," he said matter-of-factly with a small shrug, but the glow in his eyes was indecipherable.

Really, she should be offended but why the hell was she  _ flattered? _ And _ holy crap,  _ was he  _ flirting _ with her?

_ Omigawd omigawd omigawwwwwwd… _

She forced her scowl to deepen but dammit that blush would not go away. "Yeah? Well these totally awesome legs can break your neck twenty different ways."

His smirk widened almost daringly. “Can you even reach my neck, short stuff?”

...it was going to be a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whee! Just looked at the date of update and realized that it’s been six months since I’ve rejoined the land of fanfiction writing. Wow. Time just flies by when you’re having fun, I guess (or when there’s a worldwide pandemic). I might be delaying next week's update by a day, just a heads-up :)
> 
> Thanks for all the support over the last six months! Your comments and kudos keep me going :)


	5. Tuesday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elena ignored her comment, her eyebrow rising in interest as she continued prattling on, “What they see is Reno, hanging out with you at bars and him being willing to hang out with you and a baby, no less. What do you think they think about that?”
> 
> “That I need to pick better friends,” Yuffie grumbled.

Yuffie yawned tiredly as she lounged around on the couch, her weary gaze resting on Sayuri—the infant was lying down on the extra blanket from the guest bed that had become a makeshift playmat. Her fingers were clutching tightly at the fabric book that Reno had purchased for her the day before—she was biting the page as her hand tried simultaneously to yank at it. The slobber had already soaked half the toy and Yuffie had to grimace in disgust as she looked away, her eyes landing  _ unintentionally _ on Reno.

Except it was really completely on purpose and she had to curse herself.

His scrawny figure was leaning against the frame of the open balcony door, his head tilted sideways tiredly as he took the occasional sips from his coffee mug. It was almost unfair how good looking he was in the mornings, even when his hair was untied and unkempt—his lazy eyes and languid grin made her heart race and her stomach tighten. And then her mind took a turn she hadn’t expected it to—she wondered idly how many women had seen him like  _ this _ in the mornings and she was suddenly filled with an intense sense of jealousy she hadn’t anticipated.

Yuffie’s thoughts came to a screeching halt the moment she realized what her brain was doing.

_ Nope. _ She was  _ not _ going to go there.  _ Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope.  _ That line was  _ not _ going to be a line she crossed anytime soon, if ever.

Reno was her  _ drinking partner _ on the weekends. Nothing more. They could  _ never _ be anything more. For gawd’s sake, he  _ slept around  _ with more women each week than men she’d  _ ever _ been with—and crossing that line would be irreversible and she wasn’t ready to lose a  _ friend _ to hang out with on the weekends. Plus, she tried to imagine what her father’s reaction would be if she decided to bring  _ Reno, _ of all people, back to Wutai as her suitor—she didn’t have to try very hard. The exact words that would be on Godo's lips could be heard in her head instantly, none of them flattering. 

...But maybe if she continued being an insolent heir, Godo’s heart would stop suddenly. And now that she thought about it, perhaps she  _ should  _ hire Reno to pretend to be her suitor just to get Godo to piss off.

“Yo.” Reno had bent down in front of her so that his eyes were leveled with hers and she was reminded of how green and blue his eyes were yet again—how beautiful they were.

“Huh?” She blinked dumbly.

“D’you hear anythin’ I’ve been sayin’?” He asked, his lips twisting into a wry scowl.

“Nope!” she chirped as she brushed her thoughts away and tried hard not to be bothered by his face being so close to hers. His breath could be felt on her lips. “I’ve been daydreaming ‘bout how to best give Godo a heart attack so he’ll get off my ass. What’s up?”

“He been givin’ you a hard time again?” Reno asked and she gave an indifferent shrug in response. She knew he would decide not to pursue the topic as she tended to fall into a bad mood whenever her father was brought up—she hated thinking about her future and made it a mission to think about it as little as she could. “I said I’ll pick you up after work. It’s Tuesday night and the bar’s closed—I usually head over for dinner if I’m not workin' late. You good with that?”

Tifa had mentioned to Yuffie that Reno was around on the weekdays just to hang out with Rude, but she had just assumed it wasn’t that often—she didn’t realize that they had  _ weekly _ dinners together. Maybe she had to swing by Edge more often on the weekdays—she was starting to feel just a tad left out, especially since weeknights at the WRO tended to be boring.

“You done zonin’ me out yet, brat?” he asked with amusement as his knuckles knocked against her forehead gently. “Dinner. At. Bar. Tonight.”

Flustered beyond belief and a little humiliated that he had caught her daydreaming  _ twice _ in the span of a minute, she said the first thing that came to her mind. “It’s a date!” And then promptly regretted it as she froze in her tracks and felt the colour rising in her cheeks.

Holy  _ shit. _

Deep breath—in and out, in and out, in and out. Why, of  _ all  _ things she could have said, did she choose to say  _ that? _

Oh my gawwwwwwwwd. Was it possible to die of embarrassment?

He was  _ still _ looking at her, but his lips had curled into something that  _ almost _ looked like a smile.

She really had to get her shit together and stop letting her mouth run off.

\------------------

“How the hell does that even make sense? Did I ever even  _ look _ pregnant at any given time? Gawd. Bad enough that the rumours were about me being a single parent yesterday, but now I have a bastard child with  _ Reno _ of all people? Reno?” Yuffie moaned into her hands as she flopped backwards onto her bed, her legs kicking up before landing against the side of the bed almost painfully. “I do  _ not _ have an illegitimate child with  _ Reno, _ in case you were wondering, ‘Lena. And I mean, I saw this coming because we had  _ lunch _ together yesterday, but gawd I can’t  _ believe _ the nerve of—”

“I’m just the messenger, Yuffie,” Elena interrupted and Yuffie shot her a glare—the bright smile on Elena’s face was  _ not _ a welcome sight. Elena seemed to be ignoring her glower just fine as she bounced Sayuri on her knees, seemingly only half-focused on the conversation at hand. Yuffie couldn’t even blame her because Sayuri was such an adorable and well-behaved baby. “I was just dropping off a file for Reeve and just happened to hear the rumours. Thought you’d like to know, since you work with these people.”

“I did _ not—” _

“And plus,” Elena’s eyes gleamed with slight mischief as her smile twisted into an almost-smirk and Yuffie had a feeling she didn’t really want to hear what would be coming out of her mouth next. “The idea isn’t  _ that _ far-fetched off.” Before Yuffie could murder her, she continued, “At least for them, anyways.”

Yuffie sat up abruptly, her eyebrows cocked up as her arms folded in front of her defensively, “What the hell does that mean? Of course it’s far-fetched. We’re  _ drinking buddies _ —”

_ “I _ know that, Yuffie,” Elena said with a faint grin, but Yuffie’s shoulders tensed up, knowing at once that the older woman was saying that just to placate her—she didn’t believe anything she was saying. Sometimes she forgot that these friends she had were just as calculating as her. “But you have to see it from  _ their  _ perspective.”

Yuffie narrowed her eyes at her. “Gawd. The last thing I ever wanna do is see things from  _ those  _ peoples’ perspectives. All they do is sit on their asses and  _ gossip _ and you of all people should know, Blondie. I’m sure you’ve had your fair share of those people with the way you and Broody—”

Yuffie saw the hint of exasperation on Elena’s face before she intervened her ramblings for what seemed like the hundredth time. “Yes, but Reno has a certain  _ reputation _ that we know is grossly exaggerated.”

“Is it?” Yuffie muttered, and she noted with surprise that her voice held a hint of bitterness that she hadn’t been expecting from herself.

Elena ignored her comment, her eyebrow rising in interest as she continued prattling on, “What they see is Reno, the playboy extraordinaire, hanging out with  _ you _ at bars and him being  _ willing  _ to hang out with you with a baby, no less. What do you think they think about that?”

“That I need to pick better friends,” Yuffie grumbled, even though she didn’t really mean it and she knew the Turk wouldn’t think she meant it at all.

“You  _ know  _ he likes you, Yuffie.” 

There. What Elena had wanted to say all along. And even when it was what Yuffie had half expected, she couldn’t help her eyes from widening almost imperceptibly before she carefully schooled her features back. And she also knew that it was in vain because Elena had known her too long and she was sure she could see through it—also, she often forgot Elena was a Turk and she was pretty sure Elena had been  _ trained _ to read people.

“Well he better fricken,” she said with a disinterested shrug even though her face suddenly felt very warm. “I come all the way back to Edge to drink with him  _ every weekend _ cause that old man has no other friends.”

“You know what I mean.” Elena glanced at her meaningfully, the unspoken words on the tip of her tongue— _ you like him too. _

Yuffie ignored her look and wanted to ask what Elena meant instead—how did she know? Did Reno tell her?! But she pushed those urges away because she reminded herself that it wasn’t a line that should ever be crossed in the first place.

“Nope! No idea of whatcha trying to say, ‘Lena. Seriously, you must be drunk...and at two in the afternoon? Turkey must really not be a good influence on you.”

Elena shot her another exasperated glance, but seemed to relent because she changed the topic. Yuffie could only sigh inwardly in relief.

\------------------

The car ride back to Edge was a lot quieter than normal, with Yuffie not completely in the mood for their usual banter. She had managed to finish another page of the mission report that she had wanted to complete this week, but that had been as much as Sayuri could handle before getting bored of the four walls in her room. Yuffie, clearly not having thought things through, decided to leave the safety of her room to seek out company. 

It had been disastrous. 

If she thought the quiet whispers and secretive glances were bad on Monday, it was so much worse today. And it apparently didn’t help that someone had observed Reno picking her up from work yesterday and dropping her off this morning. That had been the fuel to a lot of the new rumours today.

_ Oh my god, did you hear? Reno from Shinra dropped off Kisaragi this morning at work. I bet you I was right—it’s their bastard child and he’s  _ finally _ taking responsibility. What a stupid, dumb girl, to get involved with the likes of that Turk. _

Who cares if she was never pregnant in the first place? Who cares if that story was riddled with holes and was just downright  _ stupid? _

Even  _ Vincent,  _ who was normally uninterested in such gossip, had asked her about it. So when Yuffie had stormed Reeve’s office with the intent of demanding that he send out a memo to cease office gossip and Reeve had simply looked at her with amusement, stating that  _ everyone _ in the building already knew and that it was pointless, she had been close to murdering her employer.

Yuffie let out an angry sigh as she held Sayuri even closer towards her.

“Tough day, princess?”

She shot him a glare. “You have  _ no _ idea, Turkey.”

He snickered. “I might. ‘Lena came back with some stories.”

“She is  _ such  _ a blabbermouth. Gawd… Those paper pushers must be such idiots to think that—” She stopped herself before taking another deep breath. “Forget it. I don’t wanna talk about it.”

There was a long stretch of silence.

“They’re just fuckin’ rumours, brat,” he muttered suddenly in a clipped tone and Yuffie noticed his hands tightening around the steering wheel just briefly. “Tch. Why do you give a shit what they say anyway?”

Except what was really bothering her wasn’t the gossip—there had been plenty of rumours about her ever since she had started working at the WRO. At first it was about her state of her clothes and how skimpily she dressed. When  _ that _ had gotten boring, then it was how she must have slept with Vincent because he hadn’t mauled her with his claw for hugging him. At one point, they said she was sleeping with  _ Reeve _ because they spent so many evenings in the office together.

She had been the butt of malicious gossip for as long as she could remember—she was the fricken Princess of Wutai, for gawd’s sake. She  _ grew up _ being the center of gossip. If she didn’t learn quickly to let insults and rumours roll off her back, she would have had problems.

But it was what Elena had said to her that rendered her uneasy because her mind couldn’t quite forget it. What if Elena  _ was _ right? But the idea was so downright ridiculous, that even so, she couldn’t stop the small lingering feeling of hope in her chest.

What she didn’t understand was  _ why _ she was feeling that too, because it was a line that  _ she was not going to cross. _

_ Ever. _

Right?

The sight of the bar crept closer and closer until she could see the outline of the tables and stools through the window. The urge to say  _ something—anything _ grew stronger and stronger. But what could she say? What did she  _ want  _ to say?

As Reno pulled the car to the side and parked, the silence in the car reminded her that he had stayed suspiciously quiet—she had the distinct feeling that he was  _ mad,  _ whether it was at her or not, although she wasn’t really quite sure exactly what she’d done.

When she didn’t speak up, he gave a small snort before getting out of his side of the car. As Reno finally opened the door to  _ her _ side of the car and motioned for her to hand him the baby, she let out a huff of air.

“I  _ don’t _ care what  _ they _ say,” Yuffie muttered. “I’m the next fricken Empress of Wutai—I’ve heard a lot worse. You can’t imagine what my own people will say about me.” Unclipping the carrier carefully, she lifted Sayuri up to him before stepping out of the car and standing up to stare at him. Her head tilted slightly as she studied the way he held the baby and she couldn’t brush away the way her heart leapt at the sight of him. She took the jump—she was never really known for being tactful anyways. “‘Lena says you like me.”

He didn’t look surprised. His gaze swept over her slowly as he cocked his brow casually, a small smirk on his face—the tension between them seemed to have eased instantly. Even though the sounds of the city were loud in their ears, the silence between them was almost deafening and she wondered if he was buying time to think about what to say. A little regretful now, because maybe it had been bad timing to bring it up right in front of the bar as they were about to walk in. But still, she felt a small, pleasant tingle shiver up her back at the way he looked at her even though she couldn’t quite read his mind.

"She really needs to curb that fuckin’ mouth of hers.” His gaze was indecipherable.

It wasn’t a denial. Before she could answer, the sound of the door unlocking was heard and she bit her tongue to keep her mouth shut.

The last thing she needed to do was to drag Rude or Tifa into this conversation. It was complicated enough.

Except it wasn’t Rude or Tifa who had unlocked the door. “I haven’t been gone  _ that _ long.” Cloud Strife’s recognizable voice rang out and Yuffie spun around to watch him stare pointedly at Sayuri with amusement before his bright glowing eyes travelled between Reno and her.

Reno scoffed loudly as he strode past the blond, a quick ‘Strife’ as a greeting.

Yuffie watched the Turk walk in confidently, destination in mind. Rolling her eyes in exaggerated irritation, she punched Cloud in the shoulder playfully. “Har har har, Spikey. You are  _ so _ witty.” She slipped past him gracefully before taking a deep breath—the smell of the delicious food was overwhelming and she started salivating at the thought of Tifa’s meals. It was settled. She would have to try harder to make her way back to Edge every Tuesday just to have more home-cooked meals.

Looking over her shoulder, she asked him, “Did you manage to find your sense of humour this trip?”

“Wasn’t looking for it,” he deadpanned promptly in response.

“Well, maybe that’s what you shoulda been looking for all along,” she couldn’t help but retort with a cheeky grin on her face. And then before he could retaliate with his trademark impassive stare or dorky comeback, she waved backwards and made her way further into the bar.

It wasn't the first time Yuffie had attended a family dinner, but it was definitely the first time she had attended one with Reno in tow and she was somehow both bothered and pleased by the fact that they seemingly had a routine in place. By the time she had walked in, Reno had already disappeared with Sayuri to the living room upstairs. Yuffie debated on following him, but sprang towards the kitchen instead, having decided on helping with setting the table. She needed a little distance from Reno to  _ think. _

Their unfinished conversation—his lack of denial—hung heavily on her mind.

As Yuffie made her way into the kitchen, she accidentally tripped over the corner of the counter and caused a loud ruckus as she caught herself against the sink with a wince.

Tifa looked up with a smile, her eyes shining with laughter. “Hey Yuffie.”

“Hiya Teef,” she chirped before she stood up, rubbing her elbow slightly. “Didn’t realize Reno came for weekly dinners all the time.”

“Hm,” Tifa responded with a secretive smile.

“Hey!” Yuffie scowled slightly. “What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked with her hands to her hips, head tilted and eyebrows furrowed. “Is he here a lot?” Unconsciously, her right foot started tapping impatiently against the ground as she waited for an answer.

Tifa pulled out the roast from the oven unhurriedly before glancing at her and Yuffie wondered for a brief moment if she was doing it on purpose to get at her. “Didn’t he tell you? He’s here practically every night unless he’s at work.”

Yuffie rolled her eyes. “Well, I know  _ that. _ Of  _ course _ I know the drunk is at the bar every night, but I meant with—”

“Not at the bar,” Tifa interrupted with a teasing glint in her eyes. “He’s never at the bar. He’s usually upstairs with Rude and the kids.” Her lips were curved up into an amused smile. “He’s around when Rude puts them to sleep and then they have a drink upstairs. Occasionally, he’ll help Rude out.”

“Whaaaa?” Yuffie’s foot stopped and she blinked in surprise. “Wait.” Her brain hurt as she tried to wrap her head around what Tifa just told her. “You mean he’s  _ upstairs, _ helping Rude out with  _ chores?” _ she almost yelped out.  _ “Seriously? _ Why the hell haven’t you told me that before?”

“You didn’t ask,” Tifa replied easily, cheekily. “Plus, I didn’t think you’d want to know.” She paused and if it was possible, that stupid  _ glint _ in her eyes only intensified.  _ “Is _ there a reason you want to know, Yuffie?”

“Gah!” Yuffie’s face flushed visibly and her cheeks and neck felt _hot_ and her heart was pounding and her hands were shaking. Turning around hastily from Tifa’s questioning gaze, she started opening the cabinets and drawers to gather the plates and utensils necessary for dinner. Desperate, her muddled mind tried to come up with something to say that would make her sound halfway intelligent, but the truth was that there wasn’t anything she could say.

Tifa had known exactly where that conversation was going to go—she set a trap and Yuffie had fallen for it, hook, line and sinker.

As Cloud’s clunky boot entered the kitchen and made his presence known, Yuffie didn’t think she had ever been so  _ glad _ to see the chocobo head. The silence was easily filled with her usual chatters as Cloud grunted in agreement every so often—she was sure he wasn’t even listening to half the things that were coming out of her mouth.

Still, Tifa kept looking over at her with that infuriatingly  _ knowing _ look.

By the time dinner was on the table, Marlene and Denzel came bounding down the stairs talking about the newest video game that had come out. Rude was carrying Lily while Reno held onto a sleeping Sayuri, his familiar voice with its unmistakable drawl yakking about the latest upgrade to his helicopter while Rude listened on silently.

Yuffie almost rolled her eyes because of  _ course _ he would be talking about his helicopter—it was so typically Reno. When she reached over to offer to take Sayuri, Reno merely shook his head and threw her a disarming grin that sent her breath catching before returning to his conversation with Rude. He settled down in what she assumed was his usual spot and Yuffie shook her head, almost in disbelief. She had always  _ known _ that Rude was his best friend and that Rude and Tifa were  _ married. _ But it had never occurred to her how much Reno had truly embedded himself in  _ her best friend’s life _ until that very moment. Her eyes drifted over to Cloud, who seemed to be just as ill at ease as her and she plunked herself down next to him by the end of the table. His silent but thankful quirk of the eyebrows spoke volumes.

She spent much of the dinner enjoying the delicious meal that Tifa had cooked, engaging in a few conversations with Cloud, Marlene and Denzel. But mostly, she spent the time studying the way Rude interacted with the two older kids, and while it didn’t seem like he would ever be their ‘dad’ since Cloud and Barret had that honour, there was definitely mutual respect between him and the children. Reno played the role of the fun uncle much better than she had expected him to, and watching him eat with a sleeping baby in his arms had made her heart flutter more than once.

When dinner had ended, Marlene and Denzel started bringing the dishes back to the kitchen. Reno had stood up, passed Sayuri to her wordlessly as he continued to talk _at_ Rude. Hanging his suit jacket on the back of her chair, he rolled up his sleeves before making his way over to the kitchen.

Even Cloud had disappeared somewhere.

“Is this what happens every Tuesday?” she asked Tifa, almost in awe at how smoothly things went. Sayuri began slowly waking in her arms and she rocked her a little.

“Mhmm,” Tifa nodded as she fed Lily the last few bites of food. “Reno and Rude deal with the dishes and the kids put them away. When they’re done, I get a little time for myself while they watch the kids.” Tifa studied Yuffie for a few quiet moments. “Has Reno been helpful?”

Yuffie nodded slowly. “Yeah… More than I expected,” she responded truthfully as she looked down at the baby in her arms, who was peering up at her with sleepy eyes.

“Yuffie,” Tifa said, her warm tone making it clear that she cared for her and Yuffie met her gaze, bracing for what was to come.  _ “Is _ there a reason why you want to know?”

“Nope!”

She shook her head with a smile, almost in reprimand. “Yuffie…”

“C’mon, Teef. Not you too, okay?” Yuffie whined loudly because she wasn’t sure if she really wanted to face this particular problem that was just twenty steps away, washing dishes at the sink.

Tifa laughed, “Did you run into Elena at work?”

Yuffie closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she stuck out her tongue at Tifa. “You’re all conspiring against the Lady of Wutai. I’ll have you all hung for treason, ya know.” When Tifa didn’t look the least bit intimidated, Yuffie let out a huff of exasperation before excusing herself for some fresh air. Tifa shot her a concerned glance and she squeezed her shoulder reassuringly in return.

She just needed time to think—there was  _ so much _ information she had to process.

\------------------

When she reached the roof with Sayuri strapped to her, she had fully expected to be alone but was pleasantly surprised to see Cloud looking thoughtful as he gazed into the dim city.

“You back for long, Spikey?” she asked, standing next to him as she took a deep breath, the strong scent of iron burning her nostrils. It was during these times that she wished she was back in Wutai, with the fresh air and the scent of trees and flowers surrounding her instead.

“Just for a day,” he responded, turning his head around slightly. “I’m just picking up some packages before leaving again.”

She pushed the urge to jump on the ledge away and leaned against it instead, making sure not to squish Sayuri against it. “Was it weird for you too?” she asked, her voice soft. That dining experience had been a little jarring for her, knowing that Reno was part of Tifa’s family more than  _ she _ was—more than _ Cloud _ was.

Cloud looked at her in puzzlement, his eyebrow raised.

“Coming home,” she elaborated. “Isn’t it kinda weird to see that everything’s changed? I didn’t realize Reno came for weekly dinners, or that he hung around every weeknight. I didn’t even realize Rude was such a good dad figure to Marley and Denny.”

His lips quirked up in amusement, his eyes glowing eerily in the darkness. He didn’t answer for a few moments, but when he did, he seemed at peace with it. “I’m glad she’s happy.”

Yuffie couldn’t disagree with that. Out of everyone, Tifa deserved that happiness most and it seemed like Rude had been the perfect man for the job—stable, reliable and totally in love with the barmaid. She knew that if Tifa had waited around for Cloud, she would have spent the rest of her life worrying about the blond and catering to his needs rather than her own.

“Mhmm,” she hummed. “I’m glad, too.”

“What about you, Yuffie?” His unnaturally bright gaze turned towards her and his eyes never failed to both mesmerize and cause her unease. “Trouble in paradise?”

“Hah,” Yuffie let out a small laugh because even  _ Cloud _ was getting up in her business—he was the older brother she never wanted or needed. Was  _ anyone  _ going to cut her some slack? “Spikey...there  _ is _ no paradise. Plus, shouldn’t you be warning me to stay away from him? He’s  _ Shinra. _ Kinda tried to kick our ass back in the day and failed miserably?”

“Would you even listen if I told you to stay away? Plus,” Cloud said as he ruffled her hair, his eyes still on her. "Life’s too short to be holding grudges." She had a feeling he was seeing through her. “We need to make the most of the time we have. Every minute...every moment, matters.”

“Wow. Words of wisdom from Spikey,” she said with a mock glare as she pushed his hand away and ran her fingers through her mussed up hair. “Who woulda thought?”

He patted her shoulder awkwardly before turning around and walking towards the stairs. “She used to tell me that,” he said over his shoulder.

And then he was gone.

There was no need to ask who ‘she’ was. 

“Huh. Of course she did,” Yuffie murmured into the silence. “If only you followed those words of wisdom yourself, Chocobo Head.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I initially had another scene with Reno at the end there, but there was so much happening in that chapter I moved it to the following chapter. And of course, Cloud was referring to Aerith because I love her and I try to put little hints of her in my fics because she’s kinda *spoiler* dead D:
> 
> On a brighter note, I’m officially on Winter holidays! Yay! Weekly updates will continue as usual.
> 
> As usual, comments and kudos are very much appreciated!


	6. Wednesday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Plus,” Tifa continued with a cheeky grin, one that looked like it belonged on her face instead. “What’s stopping you from just pulling his face down to yours and kissing him with everything you’ve got? You had no problem giving Cloud a peck.”
> 
> Yuffie’s mouth fell open wide and she spluttered. “I was _sixteen!”_
> 
> Tifa was clearly having _way too much fun,_ because her grin grew wider, if that was even possible. “Well, now you’re older and wiser and you clearly like him, so kiss him already.”

Yuffie groaned quietly as she rolled over onto her other side, tangling her legs up in the sheets during the process—her body was exhausted but her mind was in overdrive and sleep was still eluding her. Ever since Sayuri had fallen asleep next to her, she had been tossing and turning in bed, her thoughts jumbled in her head from that unfinished conversation between her and Reno. If only Cloud hadn’t interrupted them—in his defense, she hadn’t exactly chosen the best place to bring up what Elena had told her.

As soon as the words had left her lips, she knew she should have waited for a better opportunity instead—her impatience had once again gotten her in trouble.

The car ride back to Reno’s apartment earlier in the evening had been unusually quiet, which was a miracle in itself, considering who she was and who he was. But neither of them seemed eager to bring up the particular topic that seemed to have been plaguing both their minds. Instead, they busied themselves with the sleepy and hungry infant and when Yuffie had  _ finally _ started putting her to bed, Reno had made an excuse about needing a smoke before stepping back out the front entrance. 

He wasn’t back yet and it was past midnight—he usually took his smoke break on the balcony. Her chest tightened uncomfortably because she had a feeling he was avoiding her on purpose. His smoke breaks rarely took over ten minutes and it was over half an hour long now.

Had she messed things up between them?

Letting out another groan of frustration, she sat up and carefully reorganized the pillows and blanket so that they were around Sayuri—she didn’t roll around much when she was asleep anyway.

Plus, some fresh air would do her some good.

Shutting the door quietly behind her, Yuffie’s bare feet padded along silently on the soft carpet before she pulled open the balcony door. Her body shivered slightly from the biting breeze but she shook off the cold and hurdled herself over the ledge before sitting down. With her legs pressed tightly against the cold concrete, she had to bite back a squeak of surprise at just how chilly it was.

She wasn't sure how long she had been there with her ass planted against the rough surface, staring at the dim lighting of the city. The distinct sound of Reno’s hard-sole shoes entering the apartment and the door clicking shut brought her out of her thoughts. On edge because she wasn’t quite sure what to expect, she didn’t dare turn around to greet him when the door behind her slid open wider. It wasn’t until his jacket wrapped around her shoulder—still warm from his body—that she realized she had been cold. His lanky figure leaned against the barrier and the unmistakable scent of  _ him _ and his cigarettes floated up to her nostrils.

She found the familiar odor strangely comforting.

The deafening silence between them continued—it wasn’t tense and it was almost companionable. Still, she wasn’t quite sure how to end the stillness that lay between them and her impatience was urging her to open her mouth and say  _ something. _

But what?

“It’s been three days, brat,” he said, his voice low and raspy, perhaps from the lack of use. The relief at him starting the conversation almost made her shoulders sag. “What’re you plannin’ to do if there’s no next of kin?” He turned his head towards her as he fixed his intense gaze on her.

The truth was, she didn’t know.

Shrugging, she responded honestly, “I dunno.” It was an issue that had been on her mind since she had found out that the mother had died during childbirth—she had  _ hoped and wished _ that the parents had been divorced or separated or  _ anything _ but dead. “But we can’t just leave her—”

“Can’t save everyone, Yuffie.” The way he spoke with his abnormally serious voice and the way he used her name made her grit her teeth together.

She knew the truth in his words.

Her fingers dug into the cement as the quietness lingered.

She had seen her fair share of orphans in Wutai during the years of Geostigma and when she had moved to Edge, the numbers of children left behind on the streets had staggered her. At least in Wutai, it seemed like there was a proper orphanage for those who had lost their parents. In Edge, children were abandoned, wandering alone, and if they couldn’t find a group to attach themselves to, they often died. It was a harsh life. Her mind drifted towards Denzel who had lived that life—who had suffered too much for a child his age.

If they had thought that saving the planet had meant a happily ever after ending, they had been sorely mistaken—once upon a time, that was what Yuffie had imagined. She had returned home to Wutai from her first adventure expecting praises and people bowing at her feet only to be astonished when  _ nobody _ cared. As a matter of fact, she had been locked up  _ because _ she had travelled away from her hometown.

Idly, she debated for a moment if she really should have listened to Reno on that first night and dropped Sayuri off at the hospital instead. It would have been difficult for them to find her a good home because there were  _ so _ many orphans, but Sayuri was a baby and she was adorable and the chances of her finding a family would have been easier. Because she really should have known better and shouldn’t have attached herself emotionally to someone she knew she couldn’t keep.

She was twenty-three. She wasn't ready for a baby that was dropped unexpectedly into her lap after a night of drinking. Gawd, she wasn’t even ready for the throne that she had been promised since she was a  _ baby. _ How could she  _ possibly _ be ready for a lifetime of  _ motherhood? _

And yet, the thought of leaving Sayuri alone in the world… It bothered her more than she thought it would.

Would it  _ really  _ be so difficult to become a single-mother at twenty-three? She had no delusions about Reno  _ actually _ helping out long-term, despite the fact that he was good at it—he had only agreed to help out temporarily, after all.

Even though her brain was letting her know that this might be one of the most  _ impulsive _ ideas she had ever had, her mind went through the possibilities—the logistics of it all. Her support system was solid—she had amazing friends and a great job that had a boss who would be completely understanding if she were to ever make that decision. Even Godo, now that she thought about it, wouldn’t object to it. It would be such a selfless act that she had no doubt it would reflect well on her and Godo would  _ finally _ be able to tell her people that his daughter had grown up and was willing to take up responsibility.

Could she do it? Was it the best solution  _ for _ Sayuri?

She couldn’t believe that she was even  _ actually _ thinking about it.

“I know,” she finally whispered, her voice smaller than she had intended. “But she’s just a baby.”

Swallowing nervously, she felt his gaze on her as he studied her. And then finally, he let out a harsh breath. “You gotta make a choice on what to do, sooner or later."

Biting her lips, she nodded slowly. “I know.”

It seemed like there were suddenly a lot of choices she had to make.

What happened to the days of running around without a care in the world? What happened to being wild and free?

The feeling of being trapped and pressured suddenly clawed at her, choking her. It was the same feeling whenever she thought about having to return to Wutai, to her people, to her duties.

And yet…

“‘Bout what ‘Lena said…” she trailed off, cursing herself inwardly for her big mouth because that was  _ another  _ thing she wasn’t ready to discuss. But as she studied him out of the corner of her eyes, she found that she  _ did _ want to know. Because even if nothing came out of it, she wanted to clear the air between them. Yuffie had really never been known for her patience.

He shifted his weight and for a moment, Yuffie thought he was going to turn around and walk away. Instead, his eyes studied the smog-filled skies and she wished she could see the twinkling stars above. When he finally looked at her with those eyes she was so fond of, she felt compelled to look back.

“Like I said,” he finally said with careful calmness and Yuffie recognized it for what it was—a defense mechanism. “She talks too fuckin’ much.”

And she could only stare, her heart thrumming against her rib because while he _still_ hadn’t answered her unspoken question, he hadn’t outright denied it. For Reno, that was as close to a confession as she would ever get and if she wanted more, she realized that she would have to be the one to push him. He would never stop hiding behind his sarcasm and vitriol.

Well, Yuffie was nothing if not stubborn.

_ Challenge accepted. _

Mustering all the courage she had, she leaned her head on his shoulder—she noted with bewilderment that he didn’t flinch or pull away at her touch. Taking a deep breath, she hesitated for only a split second before she took the plunge. 

“It wouldn’t bother me if it was true, ya know.”

His shoulder tensed just briefly before she felt him relax. "Wouldn't bother me if I were you either. I'm pretty fuckin’ awesome,” he responded with a small smirk.

She burst into a cackle of laughter. “Only  _ you  _ would be such an arrogant piece of shit, Reno.” Lifting her head off him because she wasn’t quite ready to push him  _ too much _ yet, she swung her body around. And then she hopped off the ledge gracefully in one swift movement before looking back at him over her shoulder. “You coming to bed?”

“Yeah. Soon,” he responded as he nodded, his back still to her—she tried not to be bothered by the sudden, unexpected flash of disappointment when he didn’t turn around.

When she crawled into bed next to Sayuri moments later, she couldn’t help but snuggle close to her just briefly before giving her a gentle kiss on the forehead, her heart swelling up with affection for the little baby she had only known for days. It was inevitable that she would have to make a decision about her, but even so, she didn’t think she would ever be ready to let her go. Sayuri squirmed for a moment before her breathing evened out again.

Feeling a little silly, she buried her face into the pillow, breathing in deeply, the faint scent of him still lingering.

“Make the most of the time we have, huh,” she whispered to herself in the near darkness of the room. “Easier said than done.”

* * *

She knew something was off with Reno the moment he opened the bedroom door to join them in the living room that morning, from the way he looked at her to the way he moved around the apartment. He still responded with his usual snark, but it didn’t quite have the same amount of bite.

A little nervous, she filled the silence the only way she knew how and Reno seemed to relax under her neverending chatter. She spun on the barstool, her elbows hitting the kitchen island ever so often.

“So I got a phone call at three in the morning from Godo cause he doesn’t give a shit about time difference.” Yuffie glanced away briefly from Sayuri, who was once again playing on the floor with her new toys, to Reno. He was leaning against the kitchen counter on the other side of the island as he sipped at his mug, seemingly deep in thought. She wasn’t even sure if he was listening to her at all. “And apparently there’s an urgent video meeting I’ve gotta attend tomorrow, so I can’t bring the kiddo to work. Teef’s offered to take her, so long as I get back to Edge by three and Cat-boy says I’m cleared to leave early that day.”

“Sure thing, brat,” he responded absently.

"Did you know I strip dance at the bar for extra moola cause Reeve doesn’t pay me enough?” she asked, her eyebrows quirking up.

“Yeah, man.”

“Yep. You’re definitely not listening to me,” she muttered to herself under her breath. Now, how much fun did she want to have with this? “I’ve been secretly in love with Rufus since the parade in Junon all those years ago. He asked for my hand in marriage so we can make lots of blond babies and he's promised me all his inheritance so I can make Wutai great again. How would it feel if I was your boss, huh?” Her elbows on the counter, Yuffie rested her face in her palms as she watched his blank gaze.

“Uh huh.” He pushed himself off the counter and for a terrifying moment, she thought he had heard everything. Except he turned around and pulled out the electrical outlet on the other side of the stove that Yuffie now realized was a hidden safe—she would have totally found it if she hadn’t been so distracted by taking care of Sayuri. And then he took something out before walking over to her and placing it in her palm.

His fingers lingered for just a moment too long.

Yuffie felt her face flush as she looked down in her hand. “What’s the key for?”

“I’m off late tonight. Figured it’ll make things easier for ya, unless you like lockpicking with a baby strapped to you?”

She swallowed nervously, her eyes focused on the key because even though she knew it was temporary, she couldn’t get over the fact that Reno had given her the key to his apartment. The fact that he was  _ allowing _ her unlimited access to his apartment, the fact that he  _ trusted _ her to have his key—the meaning of it wasn’t lost on her because she knew that in the world he lived in, it was a show of unquestionable trust.

What the hell was wrong with her and why was she suddenly so jittery around him? 

“Ah…” she exhaled and she braced herself. “Thanks Turkey! I’ll give it right back to you tonight when you get home—” Her words jumped out of her mouth, they ran together so quickly.

But then he tilted her chin up with his finger and whatever she wanted to say died in her throat.

His eyes were gleaming, his lips curled up and her brain told her he was going to be nothing but  _ trouble. _ But she couldn’t stop her heart from beating wildly, nor could she stop focusing on the smell of his cologne and for the first time in her life, all she wanted to do was to yank him down roughly by his suit and kiss him across the countertop. 

Screw the line she shouldn’t be crossing. It should be illegal to be this good looking and smell this good.

“You shouldn’t accept the marriage proposal cause I’m pretty sure Boss ain’t interested in strip dancin’ ninjas, yo.” His voice was calm and easy as his lips settled into his usual lazy smirk.

For a moment, she forgot to breathe.

The asshole. He had heard  _ everything. _ And just when she was about to go on her usual screeching banshee mode, his thumb touched her lips just briefly and she froze again.

Her knees felt weak and before her brain could catch up and comprehend what the  _ hell _ had just happened, he turned around and made his way back into the bedroom,  _ whistling. _

Her hands shook and she couldn’t, for the life of her, stop her cheeks from darkening or her lips from smiling.

“Jackass.”

* * *

“Thanks for the ride, Reeve!” Yuffie hollered as she waved frantically at the car. “Say bye to Uncle Reevie, Sayuri!”

Reeve rolled the windows down and he looked at her with concern. “Are you sure you’ll be able to get back by yourself? I can come back and give you a ride.”

“Pssh!” She stuck her tongue out at him. “Didya forget I’m the Great Ninja Yuffie? I’ll be  _ fine,  _ Reeve. Don’t worry ‘bout me! And before you say anything, I’ve got my weapons on me!” She rotated her body to show off her leather pouch. “It’s got all the dangerous sharp objects that can maim anyone coming near me!”

He stared at her silently for a few moments before finally yielding with an exasperated sigh before he nodded. “I’m just a phone call away, Yuffie.”

_ “Good night,” _ she said with an affection smile, though his fatherly concerns tended to drive her up the wall. “I’ll text you when I’m back at Reno’s, ‘kay?”

“See you in the morning.”

Before he had more time to express his apprehensions about her walking the mere fifteen minutes back to Reno’s apartment, she turned around and gave a backwards wave before opening the door to the bar. The usual smile greeted her at the door and Yuffie could never understand how she managed to continue to be so  _ pleasant  _ day in day out.

“Yuffie! I wasn’t expecting you this early.”

“Hey Teef. Hi Ashley!” Yuffie greeted the two barmaids as she rolled her shoulder tiredly before looking down at Sayuri’s head. “Reeve decided to give me a ride after work cause he’s a worrywart. I shouldn’t complain though, ‘cause that forty-five minute walk from the WRO with a kid strapped to my front woulda  _ sucked. _ Oh, and thanks for offering to watch Sayuri tomorrow. Appreciate it!”

Ashley gave a quick nod and smile before continuing to stack up cups on the shelf. Tifa waved her up the stairs and Yuffie followed closely behind. Throwing down her backpack that was bulging at the seams from all the baby supplies at the entrance of the guest room, she made her way to the bathroom. A small infant tub was already set down on the counter top and Tifa was already in the process of filling up another container to pour the warm water into the tub.

Feeling completely out of her element, she unstrapped Sayuri from herself and held her in her arms instead—she would let Tifa deal with this. When the tub was half-filled, Tifa took Sayuri out of her hands and stripped her down before placing her into the warm water.

To Yuffie’s utter surprise, Sayuri  _ giggled. _

“Oh,” she breathed out, a grin on her face. “She likes it.”

Tifa laughed. “Looks like it. Like I said, you two lucked out. Easy baby.” She looked thoughtful for a second before she said wistfully, “Marlene was an easy child too. Imagine my surprise when Lily came and she’s just like a little hurricane—she would be screaming before her feet even touched the water.”

“Where’s Lily? With Rude?”

“Mhmm,” Tifa responded while nodding, her lips drawn into a soft smile. “Rude’s feeding the kids dinner.”

Yuffie couldn’t help her lips from curling up in delight. “Lucky  _ you,” _ she murmured, bumping her shoulder with hers gently, teasingly. Cloud was right—Tifa was happy and it was worth everything. She had spent too many years looking after everyone around her and she deserved to fulfill her own dreams and find her own happiness.

“And you?” Tifa asked unhesitatingly as she added soap to Sayuri’s hair and body and scrubbed carefully, her eyes never once looking towards Yuffie.

Her smile wavered just slightly before the blush on her cheeks bloomed as she thought back to her conversation with Reno earlier in the morning. “You’re not gonna let it go, are you?”

“Rude refuses to talk about it, but I know he thinks you’re good for him,” Tifa confessed, her garnet eyes finally landing on Yuffie.

She suddenly wished she had  _ something _ to do because Tifa’s knowing gaze looked straight through her. Her fingers itched to do  _ something  _ and anything—she snagged the baby towel off the counter top, her fingers playing with the hem of the towel. 

“It’s Reno,” she finally whispered uncertainly. “Reno the Casanova who picks up chicks every few days from the bar downstairs. I can’t be the only one who remembers that, right?”

As confident as she had felt last night and this morning, the more she thought about it, the more she became hesitant. Sure, he sent her heart hammering in her chest and caused her stomach to flutter, but at the end of the day, she wasn’t willing to lose a drinking partner for a night of enjoyment—she knew Reno wasn’t interested in being in a relationship. But then Elena’s words would come rushing back to the forefront. And Yuffie would like to believe that  _ she herself  _ knew Reno enough that the little hints he had been dropping to her showed that Elena wasn’t too far off from her observation.

“Like I said last night,” Tifa said quietly, “He’s been here almost every night he’s not at work.” She grabbed the towel out of Yuffie’s hands to begin drying Sayuri off. “He comes by and helps with chores around the house and hangs out with Rude in the living room and it’s been their routine pretty much soon after Rude decided to stay at home more, actually.”

Yuffie realized at once that it coincided with when she started hanging out with him. 

“It’s pretty clear to everyone except you and him.”

Her mind flashed back to the way  _ Cloud, _ of all people, looked at them and Yuffie swallowed the lump in her throat. “You mean…”

“Yuffie,” Tifa said with just the barest hint of admonishment, “the only person he leaves any bar with is  _ you.” _

Yuffie’s gaze flittered away from Tifa’s inquisitive eyes as she tried to deal with the sudden rush of emotions that completely overwhelmed her—it was almost hard to breathe. The unexpected awkward silence was uncomfortable and it felt  _ wrong, _ especially since this was  _ Tifa,  _ her best friend. Rushing to say something— _ anything _ —to cover the dead air, she said the first thing that came to her mind.

“I'm sleeping with him.” The words escaped Yuffie’s lips before she could hold them back and when Tifa’s eyes widened in shock, Yuffie’s own jaw dropped open before her face flushed. “That is  _ so not  _ what I meant.  _ Oh my gawd,”  _ she moaned into her hands, absolutely mortified.

“Spill.  _ Now.”  _ Without even looking at her, she heard the smile in Tifa’s voice and she could imagine the twinkle in her eyes.

Yuffie nodded towards Sayuri, her hands still covering her face in embarrassment. “We’ve been sharing a bed, but only because we have Sayuri sandwiched between us ‘cause we don’t want her to roll off the bed!”

“Oh, Yuffie,” Tifa sighed softly. “You can be so  _ dense _ when it comes to yourself.” The older woman patted her shoulders reassuringly. “Reno is sleeping in the same bed as  _ you. _ And he hasn’t made a move on you. What does that say about his feelings for you?”

Yuffie removed her hands from her face slightly before cocking her eyebrow. “That he’s not attracted to me? You’re not really helping with my confidence level here, Teef.”

“He’s either blind or not attracted to women, but we know he’s neither of those. Maybe,” Tifa murmured, “Just  _ maybe _ he cares about you a lot and is afraid of messing up.”

With a small whine, Yuffie wished the ground would swallow her whole. This entire situation was  _ beyond _ humiliating. And yet, with the way Tifa was so confident about Reno…

“Plus,” Tifa continued with a cheeky grin, one that looked like it belonged on  _ her _ face instead. “What’s stopping you from just pulling his face down to yours and kissing him with everything you’ve got? You had no problem giving Cloud a peck.”

Yuffie’s mouth fell open wide and she spluttered. “I was  _ sixteen!” _

Tifa was clearly having  _ way too much fun,  _ because her grin grew wider, if that was even possible. “Well, now you’re older and wiser and you clearly like him, so kiss him already.”

_ “Teeeeeeeeeeeef! _ Not you too!”

* * *

Reno had fully expected to return home to a dark and quiet apartment. However, when his key turned the lock and he opened the door, he was pleasantly surprised by the dim under-cabinet lighting from the kitchen—he had forgotten those lights even existed. Not even five steps into the suite, he heard her soft snores coming from the living room. He felt his lips curl up involuntarily as his gaze landed on her as he watched her hold Sayuri tightly in her arms.

She was in her bright turquoise pyjama shorts and the tattered shirt that she had borrowed from him and washed—it would have to be washed again because he could spot the spit ups from where he was standing. He had a strong suspicion that she had no intention of ever giving it bad to him. Her hair was in disarray, her mouth wide open and  _ drooling _ , her dark lashes curled against her cheeks—and yet, he couldn’t help himself from staring.

Her eyes were too big, her nose too small, her lips too thin, her voice too high, her fingers too sticky, her legs too long and shit was she annoying—he still wouldn’t change one goddamn thing about her.

Feeling a little like a creep, he snapped a picture of them on his phone before his hand shook her shoulders gently. “Wake up, brat.”

She opened her eyes blearily and something about the way she looked so vulnerable and trusting caused his chest to lurch just slightly. 

“Oh shit,” she mumbled sluggishly, “I fell asleep.” The back of her hand wiped the drool away from the corners of her mouth and she didn’t even look ashamed. Before he could say anything, she stood up with grace that she was only capable of when she wasn’t trying too hard and walked towards his bedroom with Sayuri in her arms.

“Gimme a min,” she murmured as she cast him a quick backward glance.

By the time he placed his wallet, nightstick and gun in the appropriate places, she was closing the bedroom door behind her quietly, her arms free.

“How was work?” she asked, hopping back over to the couch and sat down, tucking her legs under her in the process.

He couldn’t help the snicker that escaped his lips as he pulled out two glasses and a bottle of whiskey from the cabinets before placing ice in one cup and pouring a generous amount in each. “Musta been the first time anyone’s ever asked me how work was.”

Yuffie snorted as she took the cold glass from him before taking a sip, her face involuntarily making a face as it burned down her throat. “My day was fine, thanks for asking,” she offered with a small scowl. “I got stopped in the hallways every two minutes. One lady even asked me why Sayuri didn’t have a tint of  _ red _ in her hair… I didn’t have the heart to let her know that you dye your damn hair. I  _ did,  _ however, tell her to buzz off.”

“D’you tell her that she’s neither of our child?” He sat down next to her, one arm draped lazily over the back of the couch as his legs extended out to the table. He swished the whiskey around in his glass absentmindedly.

“‘Course,” she muttered in annoyance. “Can’t wait till—”

“‘Lena finally managed to get a hold of the next of kin,” Reno interrupted, his gaze shifting to hers as he studied her reaction. “Maternal grandparents are still alive.”

She blinked, surprised at the abrupt change of conversation. For a moment, she seemed unsure before a small ‘oh’ escaped her lips. 

As soon as Elena had told him the news, he had wondered how she would take it because it seemed like she had grown attached to the infant—if he was honestly with himself, so had he. But the hesitance in her eyes this morning when he brought up the fact that she had to make a decision about Sayuri and that it was not her responsibility to save everyone was apparent. Deep down, he knew she had been tempted to keep Sayuri with her if they weren’t able to find her family. The whole lot of them were so damn predictable with their goddamn hero complexes.

_ Including _ her.

Despite her loud bravado and obnoxious pride, she cared too much. It was no secret that she spent two years caring for those who had been infected by Geostigma even though there was the very real possibility at the beginning, before they knew what was going on, that she could have gotten the illness herself.

Her brows were furrowed in deep thought with a faraway look on her face as she sat quietly, taking small sips of her whiskey occasionally. And then she breathed deeply before her gaze turned to him. “That’s good news, right?”

“Depends on you,” he responded.

He wondered what choices she would make—it would be dumb to keep the baby, especially now that they found the maternal grandparents. But he also wouldn’t put it past her, with the way she had clearly bonded with the child.

Her teeth bit her lower lips hesitantly before she sighed again. “It  _ is _ good news. She’ll be with family. Where are they?” And then she paused slightly before she asked the next question. “When?”

“Gongaga,” he responded and he continued to study her out of the corners of his eyes discreetly. “Was plannin’ to fly ‘er over on Saturday if you’re good with it.”

Her hand tightened on the whiskey glass and he could tell it took effort for her to force herself to relax. “You background checked them, right?”

Taking offense, he cast a look of absolute disbelief in her direction before he took his first sip of whiskey.

A snort. “Of course you did, Turkey.” Her eyes lowered back to her glass as she studied the amber liquid. “Guess she won’t remember us at all, huh,” she murmured. And then she threw her head back and let the rest of the cold whiskey flow down her throat. Her fingers fiddled with the empty glass for a while before she placed it down on the coffee table with a loud thunk—the sound of the ice cubes clashing together was heard.

Her head turned around again as her eyes flickered to his face and there was something disquieting in her gaze—and then she gave him a small smile. Without further warning, she pressed her body up to his side, her head leaning against the side of his chest, jostling his glass in the process. He cursed quietly when a few droplets of whiskey spilled onto his pants—she didn’t sound at all apologetic when she said ‘sorry’.

They stayed in that position for a long moment—he wasn’t sure what the hell to do.

And then finally, she spoke, her voice quiet and unlike her usual confident tone. “Remind me to give you back your key.”

He wasn’t sure if it was  _ how _ she said it, or whether it was because she was curled up to him, but he was tempted to lower his arm and wrap it around her. Instead, he tilted his head back against the back of the couch and closed his eyes with a harsh sigh—his fingers curled into a fist instead, digging almost painfully into his palm.

“Keep it for now.”

He could feel her peering up at him and he could imagine the way her eyes gleamed up at him, the way her lips curled up impishly with that  _ mischievous  _ look on her face.

“Mmkay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year! Four more chapters to go!
> 
> As usual, comments and kudos are very much appreciated!


	7. Thursday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The corner of Rude’s lips curled up at his vehement response. “You’ve spent your entire life shunning meaningful relationships—”
> 
> “It’s the job, partner,” Reno interrupted aloofly with a shrug. Rude deliberately lifted his elbow to his desk as he clasped his fingers together, flashing the gleaming wedding ring in his left hand. “You showin’ off or what? We know—”
> 
> “Things are different now. I think you’re still using it as an excuse.” Rude murmured.

His eyes snapped open in the near darkness as he felt something pressing up softly against his arm. Out of instinct and habit, his hand reached for the handgun before he quelled the urge by stilling his own arm forcefully. A soft whine emerged from next to him and it was only then that he realized that Sayuri had been the one to brush up against him.

A quick glance at his phone told him that it was just past six in the morning. With a tired grunt, he pushed himself up from the bed and slipped his PHS into the pocket of his shorts before leaning over the bed and scooping up Sayuri into his arms. His bare feet barely made any noise as he walked out the room, making sure to close the door quietly behind him before pulling out a clean bottle and preparing the formula. With one hand holding the baby upright, his other measured the milk powder before he started shaking the bottle.

“D’you always wake up this early, kid? No wonder the brat looks so tired all the time,” Reno muttered with a barely suppressed yawn.

Sayuri responded by cooing and snuggling up to him—he felt something in his chest tug.

“Aw shit. Don’t do that, yo,” he grumbled lightly before settling down on the couch with her nestled into his arm as she reached for the bottle, clutching reflexively at it before sucking from it hungrily. Her large doe eyes focused on the bottle for a few moments before flickering up to his face and Reno could have sworn her eyes  _ smiled _ before they fluttered closed slowly.

Reno’s eyebrows rose as he looked down at the baby in his arms that was  _ still  _ drinking, a snort of disbelief escaping his nose. “Tch. You seriously fallin’ asleep while eating?” The corner of his lips quirked up as he studied her button nose, chubby cheeks and the peaceful look on her face.

When she didn’t open her eyes again, he waited until she was done eating and her breathing evened out before pulling the bottle from her mouth. Propping up Sayuri on his shoulder, he patted her back until she let out a small burp. “Look what ya made me do, kid. Turned me into my goddamn partner, yo.” And then he leaned his head against the back of the couch with another yawn and propped his legs up on the table.

A small nap wouldn’t hurt. 

He woke up to the sound of eggs sizzling in the frying pan and the strong aroma of rich coffee. Without opening his eyes, he continued to listen to the sound of Yuffie humming off-tune under her breath as she bounced around the kitchen. He realized with a sudden dreadfulness that he would  _ miss  _ mornings with the loud, spirited lunacy that was his weekend drinking partner—it didn’t help that the days of her being around on weekdays were numbered. 

He forced his lungs to breathe regularly as he felt the warmth of Sayuri’s breath against his unshaven cheek—even though she had only been in his life for such a short time, he would miss her too. 

Without opening his eyes, he felt the shift in the air as Yuffie crept closer until she was bent over him. Curious, he continued to pretend to still be asleep, unsure of what she had in mind .

“Hey kiddo,” her voice whispered softly. “Gonna take you off the turkey cause I’ve gotta get you to Teef’s.”

He cracked one eye open and it seemed to have surprised her, if her widening eyes were any indication. Their faces were so close together and for a moment, it looked like Yuffie was speechless and her breath caught in her throat.

“Hey,” he said softly. Something tickled his nose and he wrinkled his nose uncharacteristically. “What the fu—”

“Burning,” Yuffie interrupted, her cheeks flushing slightly in embarrassment as a sheepish smile crossed her face. “Tried to make breakfast, but uh… Apparently eggs are really easy to burn?” She ducked her head slightly, seemingly flustered by the intensity of his stare or embarrassed that she had  _ burnt _ eggs.

He couldn’t help the bark of laughter that erupted from his chest, waking up Sayuri suddenly, causing her to whine.

Yuffie scooped her up into her arms and shot a scowl his way, although her eyes were glinting with undisguised mirth. “It’s still edible!” She said defensively, one of her arms flailing around wildly. And then a look of dismay crossed her face as she stared at his chest. “You didn’t change her when you fed her earlier, huh? I think she peed on you.”

Looking down at his chest, he saw a large dark spot on his shirt that was growing cold, now that Sayuri's warm body was no longer pressing up against him. “Shit, that’s gross.”

Yuffie snickered amusedly. “At least it isn’t liquid shit.”

He shot her a flat glare before ripping his shirt off—exposing the toned set of abs on his pale lanky body—and walked over to the bathroom to drop it off in the hamper. As he returned back to the kitchen, still shirtless, he noticed with amusement that Yuffie was having a hard time keeping her gaze off of him. He grabbed a piece of wet wipe to rub down his chest.

She cleared her throat awkwardly before schooling her features to roll her eyes at him. “C’mon Turkey. Can’t be worse than all the blood and gore that gets splashed onto you. It’s just pee.” Her eyes flickered over his body with what appeared to be disgust before she forced her gaze back to his face. “Also, can you like, get a shirt or something? I really don’t wanna have to bleach my eyes,  _ gawd.” _

“Liar. I know I look good," he muttered flippantly as he ignored the sudden blush on her cheeks and looked down at the plate of burnt eggs with a small chuckle. “You’re fuckin’ hopeless.”

“At least I cooked for you, ‘kay? Quit your complaining, you jerk.” She stuck out her tongue at him, her face still pink.

Part of him debated on just tossing the eggs in the trash, but seeing her hopeful glance, he gave a gruff sigh before taking out the black pieces. He shoveled the eggs in his mouth and swallowed it before his taste buds had a chance to savour the bitter flavour of char. By the time he looked up, she had placed Sayuri on her makeshift playmat and was gathering the baby supplies.

“I can take the kid to work,” Reno offered as he placed the plate into the dishwasher.

Her head snapped up and her mouth fell open in surprise. “Huh?”

He shrugged. “Boss okayed it yesterday when I asked.”

She raised both eyebrows in disbelief. “Rufus letting you take a baby to work? Really?”

The corners of his lips quirked up slightly. “Told ‘im I’d be forced to work on paperwork with a baby strapped to my chest.”

A peal of giggles escaped her lips as she wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes with her hands. “Is he that desperate to have you do your paperwork?”

“Been over a decade since I handed in my last mission report, yo.”

“Gawd, you’re old,” she muttered with a snort before grabbing the empty baby bottle from the coffee table and walked towards him. She hip-checked him to get to the sink, causing him to snicker slightly before washing both dirty bottles. “You sure ‘bout bringing Sayuri to work? She’s a good baby, but… It’s not easy.”

“Sure, man,” he said with a shrug. “I’ve always got Rude and ‘Lena.”

She nodded as seriously as she could before her usual mischievous grin snuck up to her lips. “Broody and Blondie  _ could _ use the practice, I guess." 

* * *

Which was precisely what happened, because the moment Elena had caught sight of Sayuri in his arms when he walked out of the elevator, she had squealed and promptly whisked the baby out of the baby carrier and out of his arms. Reno’s gaze trailed over to Tseng almost involuntarily and it was nearly comical how embarrassed he looked due to Elena’s antics.

He snickered loudly. “Baby rabies, ‘Lena?”

She didn’t even react to his words, so enthralled with the baby that she kept making babbling noises. Sayuri giggled with delight as she pulled on Elena’s hair playfully and Elena pretended to be hurt, which caused even louder laughter. “Oh goodness, you are so  _ cute. _ How is Yuffie ever gonna give you up, hmm?”

Reno rolled his eyes as he sank into his desk chair and leaned back nonchalantly, his feet propped up on his desk. As he watched Elena interact with Sayuri, bringing the baby closer to Tseng in a teasing way, he felt Rude’s stare on the back of his head and he turned around to face him with a bland expression on his face—his eyebrow lifted almost defiantly.

His silence didn’t last very long—he had never won a staring contest against him in all the years he’d known his partner. Lips twisting into a scowl, he continued to meet Rude’s gaze. “I love you, man. But I swear, if ya keep hintin’ at the fact that I like the brat, I might hafta kick your ass,” he drawled.

Rude’s forehead wrinkled as his eyebrows lifted above his sunglasses in doubt. “Perhaps you think it’s much easier to feel nothing at all?” he asked, his voice a smoothing rumble.

“What the fuck does that even mean?” Reno yelped crossly as his eyes narrowed, deep creases forming between his brows.

The corner of Rude’s lips curled up at his immediate and vehement response. “You’ve spent your entire life shunning meaningful relationships—”

“It’s the job, partner,” Reno interrupted aloofly with a shrug. Rude deliberately lifted his elbow to his desk as he clasped his fingers together, flashing the gleaming wedding ring in his left hand. “You showin’ off or what? We  _ know—” _

“Things are different now. I think you’re still using it as an excuse.” Rude murmured, his voice low and levelled. The man would have been good at narrating those damn documentaries about animals and plants and shit.

All Reno could really do was scowl. Over the years, Rude had always left him to his own devices outside of work, whether he thought they were good choices or not—it was the only reason why they could be such good friends. He didn’t need someone to tell him what the fuck to do—one Elena in his life was enough, fuck you very much. There had only been a handful of times, even with Reno’s unpredictable nature, that Rude had ever intervened in his affairs and that worked just fine with both of them. But now that he had brought this up, he felt compelled to listen to what was being said, despite the fact that it made him uncomfortable to even think about what he was implying.

“This comin’ from  _ you _ or Lockhart?” He finally mustered a response after a long moment of silence.

_ “Both _ of us,” Rude acknowledged calmly. “Yuffie clearly means more to you than you let on.”

Reno was going to deny everything. Rude had clearly had too much to drink at ten in the morning.

“That’s not—”

“You brought a baby to work,” he cut in with an eyebrow raised and a small mocking quirk of his lips. Even behind the sunglasses, Reno could  _ swear _ he saw the way his eyes crinkled in amusement. Just as Reno was going to explain himself, Rude continued, “Tifa says you’re sharing a bed—”

Reno almost jumped out of his chair, but chose to shoot a glower at his partner instead. “Holy shit—”

Rude never stopped talking, choosing to ignore his outcry. “And when was the last time that happened?”

Reno didn’t know what to say. Because he knew, deep down, that his partner was right on all accounts. The brat had somehow dug her way into his life without truly meaning to and he  _ didn’t _ want her out, didn't  _ want _ to push her away. She drove him up the wall like no one had ever been able to do, but the idea of her  _ not _ being a constant annoyance in his life was unthinkable.

And then he realized that the office was quiet—suspiciously so. Sayuri’s gurgles were still heard and the sound of scribbling from Tseng’s pen started suddenly again, but Elena was carefully silent and he noted with growing exasperation that  _ everyone _ was listening in on the conversation.

“I thought so,” Rude suddenly spoke, his voice bringing Reno’s brain back into focus.

His frown deepened because why the fuck was everyone getting all up in his business? It was between him and the fucking brat and no one else. "She's—"

"Sounds to me like she isn't appalled by the thought."

Reno gritted his teeth, because he also knew that was true. He had seen the looks Yuffie had given him and while their relationship had remained strictly platonic, he found that it was growing difficult to keep it that way the more time he spent with her. Except he wasn’t sure if that was a bad thing because he found himself  _ wanting _ to spend more time with her,  _ wanting _ her. However, he also realized she was too young to know what she wanted—he would rather have her be a permanent fixture in his life as a companion than to lose her due to a lover’s spat.

The corner of Rude’s lips lifted up. “Good. You  _ have _ been thinking about it.”

He scoffed. Reno knew there was no point in denying it—his partner had known him for too many years and would be able to see through his bullshit anyways. “Her and Lockhart talk a lot, huh,” he muttered as he ran his hand through his fiery mane.

Rude snorted out a laugh and Reno nearly fell backwards off his chair in shock because it almost sounded like the genuine laughter that Rude only reserved those for people he cared about—he hadn’t realized that Yuffie was one of them. “I don’t think she can shut up if her life depended on it.”

Reno let out an unexpected bark of laughter.

“She reminds me of someone,” Rude murmured with a hint of humour in his voice.

“Oh, fuck off, partner.”

* * *

Reno stretched to his full height and heard his back and shoulders crack satisfyingly. And while Sayuri hadn't been strapped to him all day because Elena had basically taken over babysitting duties, he had still felt obligated to complete  _ some _ of his paperwork like he had promised Rufus. His eyes were dry and exhausted from staring at a screen all day—he had even managed to finish two pages of his most recent report. Whether he was ever going to complete it was another matter altogether.

His gaze flickered over to the clock on the wall before deciding that he would call it a day—as a Turk he didn't have a strict work schedule although he spent more time  _ at work  _ than off work usually. It was getting close to Sayuri’s next feeding time and both the bottles had been used and he hadn’t packed any additional formula. Surprisingly, he hadn’t received any texts from the brat all day—she must have been busy with work and that meeting with Godo. The amount of bullshit that she was forced to put up with never failed to amaze him—it was so uncharacteristic of her to blow to their constant demands.

Letting out a groan, he rolled his shoulders tiredly before packing up the bottles and toys back into the bag. His back was sore and not for the first time, he wished his work included more field missions and less office hours—his body was not meant to sit in office chairs.

When everything had been packed, Reno threw on the baby carrier, motioning for Elena to get over—she was hovering over Tseng with Sayuri, attempting to get him to carry her. She had tried throughout the day to get Tseng and Rufus to hold the baby to no avail.

With a small pout and a small bounce in her steps, she cuddled Sayuri gently before passing her towards Reno. “You know,” Elena said in a teasing tone, “I didn’t think I’d ever see you with a kid in your arms voluntarily.”

Reno snorted as he placed Sayuri carefully in the carrier before strapping her in. “Whaddya mean? I’ve held Lily before.” Rude looked up in interest at the sound of his daughter’s name.

“You know what I mean, Reno.” Elena winked at him and waggled her eyebrows with a playful grin on her face. “It’s a good look on you—parenthood. A little weird with those tattoos on your face, maybe. But the affection when you look at your kid erases some of that.”

“The fuck?”

Elena shrugged. “Just a thought.”

“Yeah?” he muttered, his voice harsher than he’d intended. Over the years, Elena had proven herself to be a fantastic Turk—someone he would trust to watch his back. And yet, even after so many years, she had never quite learned how  _ not _ to overshare. After all, a large part of what was going on between him and Yuffie was due to  _ her. _ “Well, next time, try and keep your fuckin’ thoughts to—”

The sudden unexpected ding of the elevator interrupted, causing the four Turks to look up simultaneously. Whoever needed to be on this floor was already here so who could possibly…

“Heya Turkeys!” The familiar sound of her voice rang shrilly as her small figure bounced purposefully towards them. “Thank  _ gawd _ you were here. I’m  _ so _ hungry and I came straight from the WRO—”

“Oh, hey Yuff—”

“How the fuck d'ya get up here?” Reno interrupted Elena with a small scowl—she gave him a look of exasperation before waving to Yuffie and walking back to her desk.

Yuffie shot a grin at Elena before rolling her eyes at him. “Didya think I wouldn’t be able to hack the elevator?” she asked with a pretend-hurt look. 

“Don’t gimme that, you brat,” he muttered. “We specifically had Tuesti design the security system to  _ keep _ people like you _ out.” _

She gave a snort before a small laugh rolled out. “D’you  _ really  _ think anything can keep me out if I really wanted in?” She was such a cocky little shit—although he had to admit that she  _ was _ good at her job. There were places she had gotten him into that even  _ he  _ would’ve had trouble getting into—her dossier was impressive as hell for her age as well. As if she could read his mind, she threw him a cheeky grin while she fist-pumped the air ecstatically. “Great Ninja Yuffie goes where she wants to go!”

“Seriously, man,” Reno said flatly. “How’d you manage?”

“Fine, fine,” Yuffie replied with a sheepish grin as her fingers flashed the very distinct-looking Shinra security card before it disappeared again. “Swiped it off of Reevie. I’ll return it first thing tomorrow and he won’t know any better!” But then her hands went to her hips as she stuck her tongue out at him. “But I coulda totally hacked it if I tried!”

He didn’t doubt it—he just wouldn’t give her the satisfaction having her ego stroked. “Sure, brat,” he agreed dismissively.

With a huff and another eye roll, she bounded towards him and peered into the baby carrier. “Heya Sayuri! You look warm and snug and ready to go home.”

“We’re ready,” he grunted out as he grabbed the bag and threw it over his shoulders before starting his way out of the office.

Yuffie waved to the rest of the Turks before turning back towards the elevator and matched his steps. “So Turkey, what’s for dinner?”

“Don’t care.”

“You never care! I’m the one who always has to pick—”

“Have a fun family time!” Elena called out to them—Reno had been expecting  _ some _ sort of comment and merely rolled his eyes as he held up his middle finger in the air.

Yuffie, on the hand, blushed bright red before turning around and sticking her tongue out childishly. “Yeah? Well, you go and make one with Broody and you can have family time too!”

* * *

There  _ really _ was something about holding babies that made him want to doze off. Stifling a yawn that was threatening to escape, Reno looked down and saw that Sayuri was still fast asleep on his chest with her eyes closed, her little body rising and falling with each breath that he was taking. Leaning his head back against the couch, he fixed his weary eyes on the bright screen again—he wasn’t sure if he was exhausted because he was holding the infant or because he had woken up so early because of her.

How Rude managed to still function as an adult when he had a baby, a child and a teenager at home full-time was beyond him.

“You sure you wanna finish the movie?” Yuffie asked and he glanced out of the corner of his eyes and saw the hint of concern on her face. “You kinda look tired, Turkey."

“I’m fine,” he grunted out as he shifted slightly in his seat. His ass and arms were starting to go numb from being in the same position for an extended amount of time. 

She let out a small huff before swiping the remote control and turning it off. “I’m here for another night tomorrow anyways. Let’s finish it then. You’re not even paying attention to it and there’s almost an hour left!”

At that, he was reminded that she would only be around another night—the thought of that brought an unexpected feeling of unease. It was then that he realized with disbelief that he would _ miss _ the little shit on the nights she’d be gone. Soon they would go back to their regular routines and he would be spending his weeknights with Rude and the kids and she would be back at the WRO, only returning on the weekends.

Hopping off the couch, she stretched with her arms lifted in the air. He watched as the hem of his worn t-shirt rose up, exposing her lengthy legs and not for the first time, he wished she hadn’t been wearing her pyjama shorts.

“So I was thinking,” she said quietly before a yawn escaped her lips. And then she was looking down at him, eyes bright and glowing. “Since it’s our last night with Sayuri tomorrow night, d’you think we could have a little celebration or something?”

“With Lockhart and the kids?” he asked.

Yuffie looked thoughtful as she bent down to try to scoop Sayuri out of his arms—she gave a small whine of discontent the moment her fingers held onto her and Yuffie burst out into a giggle while simultaneously looking like she was  _ offended. _ “Gawd, you’re such a little jerk. I haven’t held you  _ all _ day.” Casting him an eye roll and a shrug as if to say that it was his job to put her to bed then, she began to make her way towards the bedroom—he couldn’t look away from her swaying hips. 

“Well, the bar's pretty busy on Friday nights and Rude’s probably watching the kids, so I was thinking that maybe we could just order take out and have cake by ourselves?” she said in a questioning tone.

“Whatever you want,” he said as he stood up, making sure to not let Sayuri’s head loll off before forcing himself to look away. The last thing he needed was for her to realize he was staring—she had been persistent with her touches even without his encouragement, not that he was really complaining.

And yet, as soon as the thought of him  _ making _ a move— _ any _ move—on the future Empress of Wutai, he froze. Because Rude was right. He had spent his entire life shunning any chance at any meaningful relationships because he had learned early on in life that _ no one _ was trustworthy—not his birth giver, not his sperm donor, not his so-called-friends and brothers. Any of them would have thrown him under the bus for a goddamn hit.

The opportunity to join the Turks had fallen into his lap and he hadn’t looked back.

Over the years, he had found people outside his chosen family he could trust, but he was always sure to keep them a distance because they could leave at any time. 

And yet…

Yuffie had turned around at the doorway to his bedroom and she was biting the inside of her bottom lip as she looked at him with her big fucking brown eyes—she clearly had no idea how she looked at that moment. “D’you think I’m being stupid?” she asked, her voice wavering and unusually uncertain as she continued to stare at him. “I mean, she won’t remember anything and it’s really just gonna be the two of us, right? So—”

He let out a harsh breath. “Who the fuck cares?”

A flash of anger crossed her face and her arms instantly crossed in front of her with a scowl and before she could start her usual tirade…

“Like I said, do whatever you want.”

Her mouth dropped open as her eyes grew larger with surprise, if that was even possible. “Huh?!”

“What?” His voice was rougher than he had expected and he realized abruptly that he was  _ nervous. _

A faint blush coloured her cheeks. And then as quickly as it happened, the doubtful Yuffie Kisaragi disappeared in a flash and her usual self returned, almost causing him to have a mental whiplash. “Nothing!” she chirped cheerfully. “C’mon Turkey! Let’s put the kiddo to sleep.”

Looking at her skeptically, he walked past Yuffie at the doorway and climbed the bed, placing Sayuri gently into her sleep slack before zipping it up. And then he made sure his and Yuffie’s pillows were on either side of her, just in case she decided to roll around.

It was then that he looked up and watched as Yuffie leaned forward towards Sayuri to give her a kiss. He noted distractedly that she smelled of  _ him _ —of his shampoo, of his clean laundry, of his smokes. She was just inches away with her small nose and large eyes and those  _ thin fucking lips. _ The fact that she was just inches away from him didn’t bother him as much as he thought it would. As a matter of fact...

As if she knew he was watching, she peered up at him, her dark eyelashes bringing out her luminous eyes in the dim lighting of the room. With her short hair, short build and scrawny figure, she wasn’t what he would consider a classic beauty. Except there was something with the way she was so  _ spirited _ and  _ cheeky _ and fucking  _ loud _ that made him look again and again and again—that sent his heart pounding in his ribs over and over again.

The way she sent her weapon through the air, the way she laughed with reckless abandon, the way she  _ fought _ no matter how meaningless it seemed—every goddamn thing about her drove him up the wall. She was wild and dangerous and free and  _ insane. _

She’d caught his attention and  _ kept _ it all without meaning to—it scared him more than anything to admit it.

“Turkey?”

Taking a deep breath, he tried to keep his heart from racing as well as steady his chaotic thoughts while she was looking at him with those damn eyes he would no doubt do  _ anything _ for. He hadn’t been able to exactly pinpoint what it was about the goddamn princess that he was so captivated by.

She was so fucking mesmerizing and she had no fucking idea.

But she was the next ruler of Wutai, and he was nothing but a slumdog turned guard dog. 

Letting out a gruff breath, he was about to pull away when she bit her lips again and leaned forward. He froze and swore he could hear the loud thudding of his chest in his ears.

_ Ah shit. _

And just as the _ thought _ of pressing his lips against hers crossed his mind, a small snore escaped Sayuri’s lips and his head snapped back in clarity.

There was a flash of disappointment behind her darkening gaze, but she covered it well with her usual cheeky grin. “Nighty night, Turkey!” And then before he could respond, she turned around with her back towards him, burrowed her head into her pillow and threw the blanket over herself.

He let out a shaky breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding in. “Night, dipshit.”

_ Fuck. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some odd reason, this chapter was really hard to write and it took me over two month to complete it. I’m still not entirely happy with it D: 
> 
> As usual, comments and kudos are very much appreciated!


	8. Friday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What the _fuck_ are you doing?” Reno hissed out warily as his hands held up his own weight, careful not to crush her small frame.
> 
> Yuffie's legs were somehow on his lap still and the shirt on her rode up again, exposing her skin.
> 
> A flash of uncertainty crossed her face. But when she finally spoke, she spoke confidently, “Just following a friend’s advice. So I’m uh, gonna kiss you, ‘kay?”

The tension was tangible between them the moment Reno opened the bedroom door and saw her as she packed up whatever supplies she needed for the day at work. Somehow, even though she  _ hadn’t _ done anything wrong, she felt like she was gathering up her stuff and getting ready to do the walk of shame out of his home. Because really, she had planned to leave before he woke up, hoping to avoid talking to him altogether until later in the day.

With the way he was staring at her with those exhausted eyes, it looked like he hadn’t slept well either. And even then, she couldn’t stop her pulse from racing, her stomach from fluttering, her nerves from fraying—her feelings felt raw. All night, all she could think about was how  _ close _ she had gotten to kissing him, how close their lips had been—she had seen the way he had looked at her.

And yet, he was the one who pulled away. Had she jumped to the wrong conclusion?

She cursed Tifa. Because ever since Tifa had brought up the idea of dragging Reno’s face down to her and kissing him with everything she had, she could  _ not _ stop thinking about it. And even  _ now, _ looking at him with his mussed hair, half-lidded eyes and cocky quirk of his lips, all she wanted to do was pull him towards her.

“Hey,” she finally managed.

His gaze flickered over to Sayuri on the makeshift playmat before looking at her again. “Hey yourself.”

Pretending to pay attention to the bag as she zipped it up because it was downright embarrassing to gawk at how he was looking the moment, she did what she always did when faced with an awkward situation. “So I’m gonna go to work for a bit and I’ve got a few errands to run before we send Sayuri off to the middle of gawd-knows-where. And like, I realize I said we would have takeout and cake, but I realize it’s  _ stupid _ and I really don’t wanna be wasting your time, so—”

“Lemme know where you are,” he cut her off as he walked towards the kitchen, pouring out a cup of steaming coffee that she had made. “I’ll come get you so we can pick up some food and cake.”

Yuffie blinked dumbly at him. “We can?”

“That’s what we settled on last night, yeah?” he asked as he took a sip of coffee.

And then her heart stuttered painfully in her chest again as she thought back to all the things he had done to make her breath hitch. Didn’t he offer to help with Sayuri even though he didn’t  _ need  _ to? And what about when he volunteered to hold the baby when her back was hurting? She couldn’t forget how he had never actually denied Elena’s allegations, or the way his finger grazed her lips that morning, or how could he be so charming. All her mind could focus on was last night and how they had been so close...

Was he  _ intentionally  _ messing with her?

No. Reno was many things, but being dishonest wasn't really a trait of his—he was shamelessly straightforward.

“Yeap,” she chirped out instead. She never had a problem speaking her damn mind about anything—so what was so different about this?

“I’ll drive you to work?”

And as tempted as she was to accept that offer, she knew she had to decline it. The thought of being stuck in a car with him where she couldn’t escape for a long period of time was making her jittery and distressed. She needed some time to process everything, plus, the quiet walk would help her gather her thoughts.

There was only so much time left and plenty left to do.

“Nah,” she said as she shook her head and placed the backpack down on the ground beside her. “But let’s take a picture together before I head out!”

He walked towards the living room, mug still in hand. “All three of us?”

Biting her lips hesitantly as she peered up at him. “That's okay, right? I’ll just take a quick selfie. I figure I could get it printed and—”

“Yea,” he interrupted again with an exasperated glance sent her way.

She couldn’t help but giggle because underneath it all, she saw the  _ amusement _ in his eyes. “‘Kay! Let’s go then!” Hoping up from her seat, she scooped up Sayuri from the ground and waited until Reno put his cup away before dropping her into his arms. And then pulling out her phone, she stood next to him and took a handful of pictures of themselves.

As she reviewed the photos, she couldn’t help but inwardly squeal at the way Sayuri was looking at the camera, nor could she really look away from the way the corner of his lips lifted up. Secretly, she knew she was being an idiot, but she also couldn’t stop her mind from wandering while realizing that they  _ did _ look like a family.

* * *

The morning had passed in a blur between diaper changes, bottle feeds and  _ finally _ completing her mission report while Sayuri was strapped to her chest—Yuffie figured she could spoil the infant all she wanted since it was going to be their last day together.

The thought never failed to send a small aching pain in her chest even though she  _ knew _ deep down it was the best option for Sayuri.

Right before the clock struck noon, Yuffie had already packed everything up and had grabbed a sandwich from the cafeteria for her trip back to Edge. She made a small list of chores in her head as her mouth rambled on about nothing in particular while Sayuri peered up at her sleepily, listening attentively while slowly dozing in the baby carrier.

By the time they had made it back to Edge, Sayuri was fast asleep and Yuffie made sure to take another picture before reminding herself to have all the pictures printed. With a quick text to Reno letting him know where she was heading and also to remind him to send her all the pictures of Sayuri he had, she went about the two tasks she had planned.

The first stop was a jewelry store—Yuffie knew she was being stupid and sentimental, but she couldn’t help but buy a small gift for the baby that she knew she probably wouldn’t see again. Her mind drifted involuntarily to a small necklace that her own mother had once bought for her before she had passed—it was sitting in a small jewelry box in one of the drawers back at home.

A lucky charm.

With the shake of her head to clear her mind, she made her way to the next store in mind. While buying a couple bottles of Reno’s favourite whiskey because he  _ had _ offered to help and allowed her to stay the week, she caught sight of a whiskey glass that she couldn’t look away from. With a small laughter, she picked it up and threw it into her shopping cart as well.

Needless to say, when Reno’s car finally rolled up to the liquor store, Yuffie’s hands were full.

“Holy shit, brat. What’d you get?” he asked as he stepped out of the car to help her with the bags.

“Drinks!” she said with a grin as she handed him the bag of alcohol. “Party tonight, right?”

“Are you tryin’ to get yourself plastered?” With the bags in the trunk, Reno opened the door to the passenger seat.

Yuffie slid in the seat thankfully, her legs tired from having an additional fifteen pounds on her. It was almost like she had done a full leg workout all day. “Maybe I’m trying to get  _ you _ drunk, Turkey!”

He muttered something under his breath she couldn’t quite catch as he slammed the door in her face. She couldn’t stop the cackles from escaping her lips. The awkwardness from this morning could still be felt, but it was clear the both of them were trying to ignore it as best as they could. When he got into the car and started the drive back to the apartment, Yuffie couldn’t help but fill the silence with her usual prattles and Reno seemed to relax as she spoke.

The afternoon was spent with Sayuri and her toys as they tried to get her to roll over with her succeeding once before she gave up. When she finally succumbed to her third nap of the day, Yuffie took the time to order the photo prints off her phone before writing what must’ve been the first letter in her life.

Reno had shot her a few curious glances, but left her to her own devices otherwise.

They still hadn’t addressed the elephant in the room.

Yuffie wasn’t sure if she would ever get the courage to.

* * *

Reno felt like he had been living on the edge of his nerves the last few days. If he was honest to himself, it was worse than any torture he had suffered through because physical pain, he knew how to deal with—at least during those times, he could count on Rude to bail him out. Within the walls of the apartment, there was only him and  _ her  _ because the small infant who had been his shield the entire day was being tucked into bed.

The fleeting glances and physical touches that she had forced on him weren’t new to him. What  _ was _ new to him was how he was reacting to them. He found himself enjoying her endless chatter and the way she looked at him when she thought he wasn’t paying attention.

Who knew the clumsy, scrawny little shit could be so captivating.

It was different when he didn’t think anything much could happen, but after last night...

By the time he had finished his shower and settled himself on the couch with the television turned on, ready to finish last night’s movie, Yuffie was just closing the bedroom door behind her. It took him a moment to realize she had changed back into his shirt and her small shorts. As she reached up to the cabinets to pull out a whiskey cup, he couldn’t stop but stare at the way his shirt lifted up, exposing her midriff—which shouldn’t  _ do _ anything to him because she was always running around in that damn skimpy top of hers, but he couldn’t look away.

He continued to study her as she pulled out a bottle of whiskey from the bag and a new whiskey glass he hadn’t seen before. “What’d you buy?”

An impish grin. “You’ll see.”

A few ice cubes and whiskey poured later, she came bounding towards the couch and handed him the new cup.

He couldn’t stop the snort of laughter from escaping at the sight of the print on the glass.

“World’s greatest dad,” Yuffie said with a cheeky grin. “Thanks for all the help this week, Turkey. Would’ve been a helluva lot harder to deal with without you.”

Raising his glass briefly as a toast, he brought the glass closer to him before taking a gulp of the amber liquid and enjoyed the hot, burning sensation as it went down his throat. “Admit it. Ya wouldn’t have been able to do it without me, yo,” he said with a smug smirk while he placed down the glass and lifted his feet onto the coffee table.

And while he hated to acknowledge it, their banter the entire day felt  _ flat. _

Something was off with them—he knew it and she knew it. Was what happened last night going to be what wrecked whatever it was that was between them? After this week, she could no longer really be considered  _ just _ his drinking partner. And as much as he  _ loathed _ to admit it, Rude was right—he  _ had _ thought about her.

Her feet dropping into his lap as she sank into the couch brought him out of his thoughts.

“Your feet smell, brat.”

She chortled. “Well that’s probably ‘cause your body wash smells. I took a shower before dinner, jackass!” With a glint in her eyes, she dug her toes into his sides before he slapped her feet away.

“I’ve seen you smellin’ your arm when you think I’m not lookin’.”

Her face turned red. “I do  _ not.” _

His only response was his smirk widening and the huff coming out from her lips only served to amuse him. Pointing the remote at the screen, he started the movie from last night, his mind inadvertently drifting back to the way she had looked at him before she had been about to kiss him.

The circular argument that had plagued his mind the entire day appeared again. Somehow, he had unintentionally gotten interested in the brat despite the fact that he hadn't wanted to. Logic told him he should run far, far away because she was not only insane, she also came with rabid bodyguards that would most likely kill him if he so much  _ looked _ at her the wrong way. Worse was, she came with a slew of responsibilities he was not interested in having anything to do with. 

He liked his life simple outside of work and having her around more than she already was was just inviting more trouble and complications that he didn't want or need.

Not to mention it would blur the lines—not just _ one _ line, but  _ all _ the fucking lines.

Not only was she inadvertently politically tied to his boss because she was  _ next in line for Wutai, _ she was also Rude's wife's best friend, and the man with the strongest military in the world tended to think of her as his reckless daughter. Just thinking about it hurt his head. 

Could he not have chosen to want someone else?  _ Anyone _ else?

"Turkey?" She sat up suddenly, her face close enough now that he could see the way her lashes curled up.

"What?" he snapped back tiredly as he turned to glare at her. 

Her eyes were wide and bright, a questioning look in her gaze. And then her lips twitched into a  _ shit-eating grin _ like she had somehow stolen all his materia—it was a good thing he didn’t usually carry any around or he would spend an endless amount of time looking for them, almost like how he was constantly looking for the numerous lighters he had lost.

“You’re touching my leg," she said with a snort of laughter. "Voluntarily.”

He realized belatedly that she was right, and that his thumbs had been drawing patterns on her legs and  _ touching her _ and he wasn't sure he wanted to stop. “So?” he murmured with a shrug. There was  _ something _ about the way she was looking at him and if she was  _ any _ other woman, he would’ve pushed her down against the couch and settled himself on top of her without any qualms. But this was  _ Yuffie Kisaragi, _ his bar hopping partner, the future Empress of Wutai, a member of AVALANCHE and WRO and  _ holy shit _ were they all really going to kick his ass if he tried anything.

For a brief moment, he contemplated standing up and dropping her legs on the ground.

Except her impish grin grew wider as her fingers grasped his shirt and she pulled him towards her roughly. With a yelp, he flailed into her and the scent of his body wash and shampoo overwhelmed him as she leaned towards him. 

“What the  _ fuck _ are you doing?” he hissed out warily as his hands held up his own weight, careful not to crush her small frame.

Her legs were somehow on his lap still and the shirt on her rode up again, exposing her skin.

A flash of uncertainty crossed her face. But when she finally spoke, she spoke confidently, “Just following a friend’s advice. So I’m uh, gonna kiss you, ‘kay?”

With her hand still tight against his chest, he could feel his heartbeat pulsing loudly. Was she giving him a way out? Her dark eyes studied his face curiously as her face flushed red and her lips parted slightly.

When he didn't say anything, she bit her lips, the doubt in her gaze returning. “Okay, well, just remember if you hate it to blame Teef cause she told me to do this and—”

Letting out a harsh breath, he pressed his mouth over hers and her eyes opened wide almost comically before fluttering close. And when it was clear to him that she wasn’t interested in talking anymore, his kiss grew gentler as his lips explored hers slowly, nipping, tugging, suckling. She tasted like the chocolate cake they had earlier in the evening, her lips softer than he had expected. The soft gasp that escaped before she kissed back stirred something in him—something he hadn't felt before and didn't want to think about.

His hand readjusted her legs so they were on either side of him before he lowered himself to her. His calloused fingertips brushed against the delicate skin of her legs and she shuddered slightly in response. Her hands were warm on his skin as she glided them towards the elastic band of his shorts and he let out a groan. Pressing his forehead against hers, he pulled his lips away from hers and looked into her mischievous eyes.

“Yuffie…” he muttered warningly as their breaths mingled.

“Mhmm?”

"Don't." He forced out the word between his clenched teeth.

Her fingers slid under the elastic and he felt his body stiffen in response. Her other hand pressed against his taut, muscled stomach. "Why not?"

"Because we're on a couch and the kid is inside?"

“So?” Her fingers inched lower.

He bit out a curse as his hand rushed to still hers. “You have no idea what you’re doing to me, brat.”

She let out another snort of laughter, her eyes crinkling in mirth. “I kinda do. Who knew  _ you  _ were gonna be the responsible one?”

“Between the two of us, I’m always the responsible one.” It was a miracle he was still managing to respond to her clearly because she was arching her back against the couch, her body pressed tightly against his and his mental capabilities were quickly disintegrating.

She pulled her hand away from his grasp before tugging on his ponytail near the base of his neck, causing him to hiss in pleasure. “Oh good. That means I can be downright irresponsible then.” And before he could truly comprehend what she was saying, she dragged his face down to hers, catching his lower lip between her teeth.

Growling, he pushed back against her, making sure to ground his hips against hers before shifting his weight onto his other arm. His left hand snuck under the shirt, his fingers grazing her side—her skin was smooth beneath his rough fingers as he drew soothing circles just below her hip bone.

“Reno…” she whimpered, letting go of his lips.

He lowered his face to hers again and her lips parted as he nipped at her lower lip before leaving a burning path of kisses up to her earlobe. And then his teeth teased her lobe, earning a soft moan in his ear. Turning her head towards his face, she left kisses on the hollow of his neck. His teeth scraped over her slender neck with a greedy roughness and he felt her heart racing frantically beneath his lips. He inhaled the faint scent of her skin and listened to the sounds of her sighing his name breathily—it was intoxicating. 

Without expecting it, her hand snuck back down between them as her fingers wrapped around him. His head fell against the crook of her neck in surprise—his breath stuttered and he couldn’t stop his hip from rocking into her grip before exerting his self-control and stilling himself.

“Fuck,” he gritted out. “Yuffie, stop.”

He couldn’t remember the last time someone touched him. Somewhere along the way, one-night stands and booty calls had lost their appeal and as much as he had spent his life running away from meaningful relationships, he had been secretly envious when Rude had found someone to spend the rest of his life with. And while he had never expected to find someone himself, the princess had dug her way into his life with her brash mouth and annoying quirks and he’d been happy to just have her around as a companion.

Except at the very moment, she was lying down on his couch with his body pressed against her, her breathing shallow. Her fingers gripped around him as she stroked him.

“If I don’t wanna?” She asked with an arched eyebrow—he lifted his head to look into her defiant gaze..

“You don’t wanna know.” Whatever she was doing to him was filling him with an urgent and burning need and he was trying to hold onto whatever little control he had left.

Her hand stilled. “...Is it gonna change things between us?” she breathed out, uncertainty tinting her voice.

He sucked in a hard breath as he stared at her. All he wanted to do in that moment was wrap her legs around him and lose himself in her touch and her taste. “A little late to worry ‘bout that, princess.” He didn’t think he could forget the way her body melted into his or the way her kisses made his blood rush south.

Her laugh tinkled out and it made his heart leap. "In that case, why're we stopping?"

“There’s a fuckton of reasons why we should be stopping.” He watched the way her cheeks were flushed with a soft pink glow and the way she was looking at him, eyes glimmering. The bright light of the television illuminated her figure and he realized idly that his palm was now splayed across her lower back, holding her firmly against him.

Her hand released his ponytail and she twirled pieces of hair around her fingers instead. “Are there also a fuckton of reasons why we  _ shouldn’t _ be stopping?”

“No,” he responded curtly. And even then, he didn’t push himself off of her even though he very well could have and  _ should _ have.

“I want you,” she said boldly as her lips twisted into a cocky grin before her fingers tightened around him—his breath caught in his throat before a guttural groan escaped. “Pretty sure you want me too.” Her bluntness was like a breath of fresh air—the women he involved himself with usually played mind games.

“The fuck gave it away?” he bit out sharply and it took all his self-restraint to not jerk himself forward. “You’re gonna be the fuckin’ death of me, you little shit.”

“I just needa know…” she trailed off and the brash quirk of her lips wavered slightly. “Is this gonna be a one-night stand?” He didn’t think he’d ever seen the arrogant brat with such a vulnerable gaze before. “I mean, it’s  _ totes  _ fine if it is, but I just needa know, cause ya know—”

Unhesitantly, he bent down to capture her lips with his again—he realized that she was giving him an easy way out after she had practically laid out her insecurities and bared herself to him. His heart hammered loudly in his chest and Yuffie stayed absolutely still for a few moments, seemingly shocked that he had kissed her.

“I don’t want a one-night stand,” he murmured against her lips.

“‘Kay,” she whispered. “Cause I don’t want one either.” He felt her lips smile against his.

The way her fingers hooked around the waistband of his shorts and underwear made him shudder and lightheaded. Just as he was about to bunch up the hem of her shirt and pull it off her, the distinct sound of a baby whining could be heard.

They froze.

When it was clear Sayuri wasn’t going to fall back asleep on her own, Reno groaned in exasperation as his head fell back against her collarbone. His cheek brushed against her sweat dampened skin and the underlying hint of his soap on her wafted up his nose. “You’ve gotta be shittin’ me.”

Her loud snickers didn’t help.

“Is this what parents always have to fuckin’ deal with?” he rasped huskily as he lay a nip at her collarbone.

“Don’t you wish you didn’t tell me to stop?” she asked, turning her head to place a kiss on his temple before she pushed him away gently. Disentangling herself, she rolled off the couch gracefully and shot him a backward glance. 

Her alluring hips swayed as she walked away and he didn’t think any other woman had driven him insane quite as much as she had.

His body collapsed into the couch in frustration—it was time for another freezing cold shower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, it was supposed to be a peck, but then they got carried away...
> 
> As usual, comments and kudos are very much appreciated!


	9. Saturday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “We still gonna meet up for drinks tonight?” Yuffie asked, a little apprehensive. “It’s Saturday.” She wasn’t sure how much of last week changed anything, if it changed anything at all—she hoped it did.
> 
> A small shrug from Reno. “Sure thing, princess.”
> 
> “Usual meet up time and place?”
> 
> “I don’t have any plans for the afternoon.”
> 
> Oh.
> 
> _Oh._

The abrupt sound of the blankets rustling softly next to him woke him up and while his instincts screamed at him to grab the concealed gun within reach, he reminded himself that he was no longer alone in his bedroom. Instead, he sat up to let his eyes adjust to the darkness of the room, the dim moonlight filtering through his closed windows illuminated her hunched-over form faintly.

Her harsh breathing filled with the room as her small frame shook.

Before he could say anything or slide over towards her, she flung the blankets off her body and propelled herself out of the bed soundlessly as she escaped. Knees bent and still groggy with sleep, he rubbed his eyes with his palms before checking on Sayuri, then proceeded to climb out of bed while holding back a yawn.

A quick scan on his phone told him they had gone to bed four hours ago—he had been resting fitfully the entire time. It explained his fatigue. By the time he had returned to the bedroom from his second shower, Yuffie was already burrowed deep under the blankets, her breathing even. He hadn’t been sure if she was  _ actually _ asleep or if she was deliberately avoiding what would no doubt have been another awkward conversation.

Whichever one it was, he couldn’t stop the disappointment that washed over him when his eyes fell upon her resting body. He wasn’t sure exactly what he had been expecting after his shower, but the feeling of disappointment that washed over him surprised even himself.

Stepping out of the bedroom, he surveyed the empty kitchen and living room before glancing over to the balcony door. The cool night breeze coming through the opened sliding doors could be felt immediately as soon as he took two steps from the bedroom door. Instead of walking over to the balcony right away, he pulled out two mugs from the cabinets as he poured pre-boiled tap water into both, carefully keeping his eyes on her stock-still form perched on the ledge, her back towards him.

He made sure his steps made enough noise on the carpeted floors that she would be aware of his presence—the last thing he needed was a kick to the throat or her to jump the sixteen floors off his balcony. Walking past the doorway, he placed a mug down beside her with a clink before he leaned casually against the railing with his body, one of his arms draped in front of him.

The water felt refreshing as it went down his dry throat.

She didn’t seem at all surprised when she picked up the cup with a small nod of thanks—it was almost as if she had been expecting him to join her. Out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed the way her fingers gripped at the mug so hard that her knuckles turned white.

“Wanna talk ‘bout it?” he asked, already knowing the answer before the question left his lips. She was obnoxiously boisterous and shamelessly outgoing and no doubt seemed like an open book with her cheeky grin and ear-splitting guffaws. Looking at her now, he was suddenly acutely aware of how much of herself she deliberately hid away from the world. It was understandable though—he doubted she could afford being herself around others because of who she was.

It must have been a lonely existence.

“Nah.” Despite her flippant response, Reno could sense that there was an underlying need and  _ want _ to share. Her hands shook, barely noticeable as she brought the cup to her lips. "Just nightmares," she murmured after a slight pause before tilting the cup back for a big gulp.

“For how long?” His tone was low and he was surprised to hear the veiled concern in his own voice. For too many years, he’d suffer from nightmares plaguing him—he’d spent more than half his life chasing them away with alcohol.

A small bitter sigh escaped her lips before a wry grin crossed her face. “Nobody ever warns you ‘bout being a hero, ya know?” she said breezily. Then her eyes flickered towards him wearily and for the first time he’d known her, she looked much older than she really was. “Turns out you can’t be the savior of the planet without it messing up your head.”

He didn’t know what to say. 

Throughout his life, he had accepted that his unpleasant dreams were a part of him—his memories of earlier childhood nightmares were hazy at best. He did, however, remember having numerous nightmares about the first time he had killed someone—the image was so vivid in his mind that he could still visualize the splatter of brain matter against the brick wall with clarity if he tried. Sector Seven had kept him up for years and there were nights when he  _ swore _ he could smell the scent of burning smoke and hear the creaking of the twisting metal.

It had never occurred to him that there were others who were suffering through the same thing doing the  _ opposite _ of what he had done. What did she dream of? Although, thinking about it now, the thought of facing off against Sephiroth the war hero himself was enough to give him nightmares for the rest of his life—the carnage the ex-SOLDIER had left behind in the Shinra building had made his stomach quease.

The sudden pressure of her head on his shoulder brought him out of his thoughts. It reminded Reno of the night when they were in the exact spot and she had laid her head on him the exact same way.

Had it only been three nights ago?

His hand twitched nervously for a moment before he put an arm around her and drew her closer to him. Her breath hitched a little in surprise. The skin under his fingertips was cold to the touch and she shivered slightly—he wasn’t sure if she was reacting to the cold or to his touch.

“Let’s go back to bed, princess,” he murmured quietly, nudging her with his arm slightly. “You’re fuckin’ freezin’.”

Somehow, she nuzzled part of her head deeper into the crook of his neck and the sudden waft of scent coming from her reminded him what they had been doing earlier on the couch.

“In a min,” she whispered with a small yawn. “You feel so warm.”

He couldn't help the chuckles that rolled out of him. Instead of letting her do what she wanted, he drained the water from his mug before sliding his arm under her legs and lifted, carrying her bridal-style—she yelped in shock.

“You’re ‘bout to fall asleep and fall to your death, brat.”

She laughed before hiding her face against his chest. 

“Admit it, Turkey. You’d just miss me too much.”

* * *

Yuffie looked around the living room that seemed suddenly bare without the makeshift playmat, the changing pad, the bag of diapers, the clothes and toys scattered throughout. Sure that everything was packed back up into the old diaper box that Tifa had given them a week ago, she struggled briefly to unroll the tape before sealing the box shut.

The only sound that could be heard was the erratic noise produced by the toy in the infant’s fists.

A small sigh escaped her lips.

“You good?” Reno asked as he turned around from looking at the balcony, Sayuri in his arms. His gaze turned towards her as his eyes searched her face.

Lifting her hand to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, she nodded. “Yeah. It’s better this way, ya know? It’s just…” she trailed off as she bent over slightly to pick up the paper bag off the ground. Inside contained the piece of jewelry, a hardcopy of the pictures they had taken during the week and a letter she had written Sayuri—Yuffie had written out an account of the evening they had found her. Her fingers pulled out the small jewelry box and studied it for a moment.

“Whaddya have?” he asked as he walked towards her.

The lid popped open and the pendant hung off a silver necklace glittered brightly against the early morning sun. “You think it’s cheesy? It’s a lily.”

His mouth pulled up into a cryptic smile. “I’ve always liked lilies.”

Yuffie hummed in agreement before closing the lid with a sharp snap and dropping it back into the brown bag. With a small yawn, she looked up towards him. His back was towards her again—she couldn’t help but stare at his fiery hair as it caught the rays of sunlight and it glowed brightly. Not for the first time, her heart leapt out of her throat.

What happened on the couch last night almost seemed like it had been a dream. Her face pinked involuntarily and ignoring the way her chest fluttered wildly, she dropped the bag on top of the cardboard box before strapping on the baby carrier. And then she sauntered over towards them, peering up to Sayuri with her usual cheeky grin. 

“Heya kiddo.”

Sayuri gurgled happily.

“You ready?” A raise of his eyebrow.

“For four hours of hell? Heck yeah!” Yuffie cheered in a mocking tone all the while punching the air with her fists. “What’s not to like about vomiting the entire trip and back?”

Reno snickered before nodding towards the kitchen countertop. “Grabbed some pills from HQ yesterday. Two each way should do it.”

Yuffie blinked in surprise. Not only had she not seen the bottle of pills the entire morning she had gone around to clean up and pack up the mess, she had also not expected  _ Reno _ of all people to be so thoughtful—she forgot her own tranquilizers for airship rides more times than she could count. “Wow. Thanks Turkey!” she chirped out instead as she bounced towards the kitchen and poured two out before tossing them in her mouth and washing it down.

“Last thing I need is for you to blow chunks all over my ‘copter.”

She almost choked on her mouthful of water as she refrained herself from laughing. “Grossness!” she burst out as she doubled over in a heaving wet cough. “That image in my head,” she gasped out with another giggle because all she could think about was her first trip on Cid’s airship. “I wish you woulda been there on my first right on the Highwind!” she wheezed out. 

“I’m good, thanks,” he muttered dryly.

The corner of her eyes had teared up from laughing and she drew in several deep breaths, her stomach aching. “Oh my gawd I’m gonna die!”

When her own giggles finally subsided moments after and she caught her breath, she looked up to see that he was just steps away—their gazes locked. With a sheepish smile, she took the few steps to close the distance between them before leaning up boldly to brush her lips against Sayuri’s chubby cheeks. Eyes sparkling and mouth growing playfully and still on her tippy toes, she turned towards Reno’s jaw before blowing raspberries against it.

His eyes widened in surprise before his unexpected laughter filled the air—loud and husky—he wiped his chin on his shoulder. “You’re so nasty, yo.” And then he shoved her backwards gently, causing her to stumble slightly.

Her loud, girlish giggles echoed in the room shrilly.

Reno passed Sayuri along to Yuffie, who strapped her tightly in the carrier before bounding towards the entrance, leaving the large diaper box and bag for Reno to carry. The car ride to the Shinra Headquarters was a short one and they didn’t run into a single person on the way from the parking lot to the roof.

As Yuffie settled into the passenger seat of the helicopter and struggled to buckle the seatbelt with a sleeping Sayuri strapped in front of her, Reno began the preflight inspection by doing a visual check of the exterior. Hopping into the helicopter cockpit, he dug around behind his seat before pulling out a tiny pair of light green headphones.

“For the kiddo,” he explained quickly as he handed it to her and put on his own.

Yuffie quickly grabbed hers off the hook and placed it on her own head before she placed the green ones over Sayuri’s ears and held it there as gently as she could. Reno glanced over at them and when he was satisfied, he looked up above his head and began flicking on switches to complete the rest of his preflight checks.

Sayuri murmured in her sleep slightly. Yuffie watched as Reno started the engines and the blades began to rotate faster and faster, the noise becoming louder and louder. The small infant at her chest shifted in her position and Yuffie hoped that she would be asleep for the majority of the ride, after all, she had fallen asleep just as they arrived at the Shinra building.

By the time they were in the air, the sun had risen fully and its deep golden glare lit up the skies and the world below as far as she could see. The sunlight danced on the ripples of the ocean waves and it never ceased to amaze Yuffie that Edge was  _ just that close _ to the sea—it was easy to forget that the majestic expanse of water lay just a small distance from the dull grey concrete jungle.

She was thankful that Reno had remembered the motion sickness medication because she was  _ sure _ she would have been miserable the entire flight while carrying Sayuri around and she would have probably projectile vomited by now. 

Sometime within the first hour, Yuffie had dozed off and it wasn’t until Sayuri started wriggling to display her irritation that she woke up. Sayuri began to first attempt to remove the headphones from her ears, but when she realized just  _ how _ loud it was when they shifted off her ears, she stopped trying to take them off. And then she tried to remove herself from Yuffie’s carrier and it was only when Reno reached his arm backwards into the paper bag to pull out the rattler that she finally calmed down as she slobbered over the toy.

“Jeez,” Yuffie huffed out with a small grin. “You’re being so fussy and it’s your last day with us!”

Sayuri peered up at her, eyes wide with innocence and wonder and Yuffie felt her own heart stutter painfully in her chest.

“I’m gonna miss you, ‘kay?” Yuffie whispered softly, pressing her against her chest tenderly.

* * *

The village of Gongaga hadn’t changed too much in the seven years since she’d last visited—the ruins of the mako reactor still sat within sight, a constant reminder of the deadly explosion that had happened years ago. She did, however, notice that there had been an increase of residential houses from when she had last been here and she wondered if there had been an influx of inhabitants from Midgar Post-Meteor. 

“D’you remember the last time we were here?” Yuffie asked as she took Reno’s offered hand while he helped her out of the helicopter. Normally, she would have slapped away the offensive offer with a scowl, but sitting for an extended period of time with additional weight on her back and shoulders caused her legs to tingle as she stood up. The way her legs almost gave way as she exited the helicopter caused her to curse because he looked like he was close to snickering.

Holding onto her by her arms tightly to make sure she wouldn’t fall, he had a condescending smirk stretched across his face. “Ya mean when we kicked your ass?”

When she could finally stand on her own, she pushed away from him with a snort. “Pretty sure we opened a can of whoopass on  _ you _ while you cried for Broody.”

“Not how I remember it, brat.” His gaze studied her briefly and when it seemed like he was sure she was capable of not falling over, he climbed back onto the helicopter to grab the diaper box and the paper bag. 

Her eyes wandered to the crossroads just past the tall grasses and her lips lifted up just slightly. “Actually,” she murmured with amusement, “pretty sure you and Baldy were just gossiping about who you liked. I remember ‘Lena complaining about that, now that I think 'bout it. Said that that was all the two of you ever did.”

He scoffed. “Leave it up to  _ her _ to complain ‘bout gossip when that’s all she ever does with  _ you.” _ His eyes gleamed as he raised his eyebrow and she  _ knew _ he was referring to the last time Elena had visited her at the WRO headquarters.

“Yeah?” she huffed proudly as she placed her hands behind her back before shooting him a wicked grin. “You should thank her for it, ya know. Otherwise I mighta never kissed you.”

“I am  _ not _ going to thank her for it,” he muttered dryly as he began the trek to the village.

A small laugh bubbled out of her as she caught up to him and matched his steps. “Okay, okay. Don’t. She can  _ never _ know or she'll never let me live it down anyway. Both her and Teef.” With both hands wrapping around Sayuri, she continued to peer up at him with slightly narrowed eyes as she bounced each step she took. “Kinda funny how life is, right? Rude’s with Teef now… Who did  _ you _ like anyway?”

He snickered. “Ya think I’m ever gonna tell  _ you,  _ dipshit?”

“I’ll tell you if you tell me!” she exclaimed in a sing-song voice.

“Weren’t you ten?”

She punched him jovially in the shoulder, probably harder than she should have and she watched him wince, a little smug. “I was  _ sixteen, _ asshole.” Curious to see his reaction, she tried to choose her next words carefully, except she was Yuffie Kisaragi, so who was she kidding. “Spikey’s kind of a good kisser!”

Reno stuttered just slightly in his footsteps and a flash of annoyance crossed his face before his usual scowl took over. “Did anyone  _ not _ like the First-class asshole?”

Yuffie laughed. “I’m kidding. I totes just kissed him on the cheek and he tried to push me off… I was never part of the love triangle!” She couldn’t stop her lips from widening as she teased him, “Are you jealous, Turkey?”

He looked like he was about to retort with what would no doubt be a sarcastic remark when it looked like he caught a glimpse of something that rendered him speechless from the corner of his eyes. And just as quickly as it happened, he averted his gaze from whatever he had seen and continued the walk towards the small houses scattered around. It seemed as if he knew exactly which house he was heading to.

Yuffie couldn’t stop her curious self from glancing over at what had caught Reno’s stare. There was a redheaded woman standing in the graveyard—there was hardly anything distinct about her with her jeans and dark hoodie and Yuffie had a feeling it was done purposefully. With a small shrug, she mentally committed the woman’s face to her memory. If she was her younger self, she would no doubt pester Reno until he gave in or possibly murdered her, but she was older and wiser—he was allowed to have his secrets. Plus, she doubted he would be willing to part with whatever information he was withholding—he’d probably take it to his grave if it was what he was determined to do.

Casting one final look at the woman, she followed Reno’s steps instead.

At the very northern side, right by the edge of the village stood a semi-dilapidated house that was practically overrun with long, messy tufts of wildgrass. Yuffie couldn’t help but notice the crumbling roof that had been patched up by metal sheets and wood—she suspected the patchwork was done with whatever materials could be found. Even the bricks that made up the entire building were cracked and badly weathered.

When she caught sight of the elderly couple standing outside, their hair white and their skin wrinkled with age as they talked softly amongst themselves, her heart stopped and her steps faltered.

“Reno…” she whispered as her hands clutched tightly onto Sayuri. “What the hell are we doing here?”

His body turned sideways partially as he glanced at her, an unreadable expression in his eyes. “Bringin’ the kid back to her grandparents.”

“But—”

“It’s not ideal, princess. But she’s got people who'll wanna take care of her and that’s a helluva lot better than what the kids on the streets in Edge has,” he muttered, keeping his tone low to make sure his voice didn’t carry far. “It’s a shitty house in a backwater village but she’s gonna have people who love her and want her here and trust me, it makes all the fuckin’ difference in the world.” His face was carefully blank as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she let out a harsh breath as reality sank in. She realized then that he’d been through it—that he was  _ old enough  _ to remember being abandoned and  _ unwanted. _

Just like all those orphans in Edge.

From the corner of her eye, she saw movement and when she finally turned towards it, Sayuri’s grandparents were waving happily with a beaming smile on each of their faces—the joy in their eyes was unmistakable. 

“You’re right,” she admitted because she wouldn’t know any better. As shitty of a childhood as she thought she had, she had never been deserted and forgotten. “Let’s go.” Plastering as big of a grin as she could on her face, she bounced over to the battered home. It would be the best choice for Sayuri—it wasn’t like she was capable of giving her the best home possible either.

“Oh, thank you so much!” the grandmother exclaimed as she reached out her arms to embrace Yuffie, crushing Sayuri between the two of them.

Awkwardly, Yuffie patted the elderly woman’s back comfortingly. “We’re just glad we could help,” she said softly.

“We’re just so happy you could bring Abigail back to us,” the grandfather said as he patted his wife’s shoulder gently, as if reminding her to let Yuffie go.

Yuffie heard Reno’s footsteps catch up and she looked backwards to catch his gaze as he stepped up next to her. “We’ve brought some stuff that we’ve been using,” she explained as she motioned to Reno, who was just in the process of laying down the box and the bag.

And at last, with a small watery smile, Yuffie unbuckled the baby carrier and held Sayuri up to her face. “I’m gonna miss you, ‘kay, kiddo? Be good for your grandparents!” And then she nuzzled the baby close to her, taking a large sniff of her comforting scent that she had grown so used to over the last few days before kissing her on the cheek. Knowing that Reno would never admit to missing the infant, she passed her to him, half expecting him to push her away.

Instead, he held her close and spoke quietly into her ears before brushing his lips softly against the top of her head.

It took everything she had not to burst into tears.

When the goodbyes were finally said and Reno had helped carry everything inside the house while Yuffie reassured them to call if needed, they finally walked away from the house. Her heart felt heavy and light all at once and she couldn’t quite understand her conflicting emotions.

“D’you think we shoulda done more?” Yuffie asked with a loud sigh as they made their way back to the helicopter, her gaze flickering over to the graveyard that was now empty.

“Like what?” 

“Iunno,” she responded with a shrug before giving a backwards glance at the house. “Like give them money or whatever. I mean, they’re clearly struggling…”

His steps paused as his gaze followed hers before flickering briefly at the cemetery. “I’ll keep a tab on ‘em.” And then he began walking again.

Her lips widened into a smile as she matched his steps, her shoulder brushing against his arm. “Thanks Reno. Means a lot to me.”

His grunt was the only response.

The silence between them was comfortable even though she felt that  _ something _ was missing—it would take her a while to get used to Sayuri’s absence. She couldn’t stop the small sigh that escaped, nor could she stop the way her chest squeezed painfully. The only consolation was knowing that Sayuri was alive and being taken care of by loving grandparents.

“Yo, brat.”

“Yeah, Carrot Top?” she responded, her tone more solemn than usual as she looked away from the helicopter that was growing larger and larger as they drew closer to watch him instead.

His lips quirked up. “You hungry?”

A small laughter rolled out from her because his question triggered her to finally realize that they hadn’t yet had any food all day—her stomach growled noisily in protest. “Starving!” she exclaimed with a grin. “You know just what to say to get me going!”

“There’s this restaurant in Junon—”

“You’re totally paying!”

“Yeah, yeah,” he muttered offhandedly. And then Reno did something that she would never, in a million years, have expected from him—he wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they continued to walk.

Giddy because just a week ago, he would have  _ never _ initiated any physical contact whatsoever. She laid her head against his side as she peered up at him. “I’m gonna miss the kiddo.”

He was silent for a few seconds before he admitted with a small exhale, “Me too.”

“We still gonna meet up for drinks tonight?” she asked, a little apprehensive. “It’s Saturday.” She wasn’t sure how much of last week changed anything, if it changed anything at all—she hoped it did.

A small shrug from him. “Sure thing, princess.”

“Usual meet up time and place?”

His arm tightened around her just slightly before she felt him force himself to relax. She noticed he still hadn’t looked down at her. “I don’t have any plans for the afternoon.”

Oh.

_ Oh. _

She felt her cheeks burn as her trademark grin beamed widely on her face. “Huh. What a coincidence, Turkey.” And then she stopped in her steps and forced him to stop alongside her before reaching up to grab his cheeks and turn him to face her. “My schedule’s free too. Guess I’ll just crash your place till we go out.”

His lips curled up and his eyes glowed as he snorted with amusement. “Isn’t that what you’ve been doin’ all week, short stuff?”

“Yep!”

And before she could lose her nerve, she stood on her tippy toes and rested her hands on his shoulders to brush a quick kiss against his lips. Then she hopped away from him, bouncing her way towards the helicopter as she shouted backwards towards him.

“If you hurry up, we might even have time to finish our make out sesh from last night!”

A loud bark laughter could be heard behind her.

“You fuckin’ tease.”

“You love it!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can anyone guess who was at the graveyard? :) 
> 
> As usual, comments and kudos are very much appreciated!


	10. A Decade Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “D'you think we're ready?" Yuffie asked, a hint of uncertainty in her tone as she studied Reno's reaction. The timing was awful and they were nowhere near ready at that very moment—but she realized the second she had uttered those words that there would never be the perfect time.
> 
> "Why?" 
> 
> “Because there’s a little girl named Abigail from Gongaga who’s waiting for a home.”

The entire room was awash with the bright sunlight that filtered through the uncurtained glass panes. With a faint whine, Yuffie tried to turn away from the radiance of the sun, to no avail, and chose to bury her face into the pillow instead. She threw the blankets right back on top of herself but it was clear that she wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep.

It was just too damn bright. Why hadn’t new curtains been installed after the renovations to the villa?

Stretching out her legs, she let out a tired yawn—her body ached from spending hours in the ocean the day before. With her eyes still closed, she dug her feet under his legs, the warmth of his skin warming her toes—she couldn’t stop her lips from curling up impishly when she felt him stir.

“D’you really make it a fuckin’ habit to annoy me as much as you can?” Reno muttered, his familiar voice thick with sleep.

A small snicker of laughter escaped her before she nuzzled her face against his bare chest as she breathed him in, savouring the familiar scent of  _ him. _ His head shifted to allow her more room as his arm lifted to wrap around her to draw her closer.

“Obviously,” she responded cheekily before peering up at him to press her lips against the hollow of his neck, feeling his pulse beat against his skin. And before Reno fully woke up, she nipped at his neck, smiling smugly against him when she heard his surprised hiss of breath before he let out a groan. Her hand slipped under his boxer briefs before her nimble fingers curled around him. “Mornin’, Turkey,” she murmured against his jaw.

“Fuck,” he cursed as one of his hands slid down her spine before cupping her bottom in his palm—his other hand tilted her face up towards him. Pressing his lips to hers firmly, he rolled forward, pushing her to her back as he settled between her legs—she let out a shaky breath. “Mornin’, princess,” he said huskily as his eyes studied her face, his lips drawn into a slight smirk. “You remember you talked me into not lockin’ the door last night, yeah?”

“Nope!” Her hand threaded through his fiery red strands. “Why would I  _ ever _ suggest such a thing?”

Just as he opened up his mouth and would no doubt provide a snarky response, the sound of footsteps on the wooden stairs could be heard rumbling just outside the room—two pairs, neither of them loud enough to be full-grown adults.

“Because of  _ that,” _ he said exasperatedly before pushing himself off of her and rolling on his side—she felt the bed shifting as he fixed his boxers.

Seconds later, the door burst open without warning and two children bounced inside, the younger one—their son—soared through the air and jumped into the bed, bouncing on it like it was a trampoline, his long dark hair flying wildly. “Get uppppppppp!”

“Go away, twerp,” Reno mumbled as he hid under the blankets as best as he could with Axel yanking on it.

Resigned to the fact that she wouldn’t be able to finish what she started with Reno, Yuffie swung her legs out of the bed before standing up, fixing her mussed up hair and wrinkled shirt.

“Morning, Aunt Yuffie and Uncle Reno!” Lily chirped with a bright smile. “Mom said that breakfast would be ready in twenty minutes!”

“G'morning, Lily,” Yuffie responded as she glanced backwards. Axel had now been swallowed up by the blanket monster and she shook her head with a small grin as she heard their joyous screams and chuckles. “Let Teef know I’ll be down in two.”

Lily nodded with her hands behind her back as she rocked her feet and Yuffie had a sudden flashback of a much younger-looking Tifa doing the exact same action—it wasn't the first time Yuffie thought that Lily was the spitting image of her mother. With a small wave, she turned around and called backwards, “Let’s go Axel!”

With lightning speed, Axel escaped Reno’s grasp and jumped out of bed before zooming out of the room. Yuffie giggled before making sure the lock to the room was clicked before she riffled through the luggage to find a new pair of shorts and top to change into. Reno’s footsteps were barely audible before his arm snaked around her waist, pulling her into his body—his breath ticked the back of her neck and she shivered.

“Renoooooooo!” she said with a breathy laugh before turning around to direct a mock-glare at him as she brushed her own bangs out of her face—the look in his eyes never failed to make her knees feel weak. “I told Lily to tell Teef that I’d be down in two!”

“She also said breakfast wasn’t ready for another twenty.” He cupped her rear before lifting her up and her legs wrapped around him naturally, her fingers weaving into his hair as he walked them back towards the bed. “I’ll make it quick.”

Her lips lifted up in a cocky grin. “Missed me that much, huh?”

“Don’t flatter yourself, brat,” he muttered dryly before lowering her onto the bed. “It’s just been a long week.” And before she could say anything more, he lowered his head, slanting his mouth over hers.

\------------------

If anyone told her a decade ago that she would be sitting on the beaches of Costa del Sol watching  _ Rude and Reno _ entertain children—their respective children—she would have most likely laughed in their faces and then thrown her weapon at them. Except it was exactly what was happening. Yuffie almost had to  _ pinch _ herself at the sight of the two Turks in swim trunks—Tifa had done miraculous work turning the stoic man into a family man. Marlene was at the edge of the ocean, seemingly hunting for little crabs with Lily as Rude stood still, keeping a steady eye not only on the girls, but also on Denzel who had swum out into the ocean.

Yuffie couldn’t help herself from smiling at the sight of Axel attempting to splash water on Reno’s face as Reno approached him to pick him up and dunk him under the water.

“Gawd,” she murmured fondly as she took a sip of the cocktail before placing it back on the side table and sinking into her lounge chair. “I can’t remember the last time I’ve gone on a vacation.” Her eyes fluttered closed as she gave a quiet yawn.

“How’s the arrangement?”

Tilting her head sideways, she glanced over at Tifa who was studying her curiously. Her face twisted into a scowl as she thought about her response. “You mean the shitty-ass compromise I made Godo? The one where I leave my husband and son in Edge for a week each month?” Letting out a huff, she blew her bangs to the side. “It’s going just  _ great,” _ she muttered sarcastically.

Tifa looked at her sympathetically, shooting a small reassuring smile her way. “Certainly makes the heart grow fonder, hmm?”

Yuffie sat up sharply, looking at her friend questioningly. “Has Reno said anything?”

Reno was Reno and complained non-stop about how he didn’t get to have sex the week she was gone, or how he was the one to deal with all the laundry while she was away—he tended to complain about everything under the sun to her. But if he had mentioned it to  _ Tifa, _ then it must have bothered him more than he let on. The thought of it sent her chest clenching in guilt—why was every life decision that she had to make so much more difficult because of who she was?

“Of course not,” Tifa said as she let out a small scoff, tossing her hair back with a shake of her head. “But Rude can tell that he’s on edge whenever you’re away.”

Yuffie’s scowl widened as she threw herself back onto the chair with a groan of frustration. “Have I told you how much I don’t want the job?” she asked snappily.

“It’s too bad it’s not a job,” Tifa retorted gently in a quieter tone, her voice barely audible over the sounds of the crashing waves.

Letting out a loud sigh, Yuffie’s gaze returned back to Axel and Reno whose hair were both soaked and dripping wet—she couldn’t stop the small smile from forming on her lips. 

“Goddamn guilt and shitty duties,” she snorted out wryly.

They stared out into the ocean as they studied their little family for a few minutes in a comfortable silence before Tifa spoke up again. “Rude tells me you guys are still looking into adopting?”

Yuffie hummed in agreement. “Well, I’ve done my duty by bearing a child of the Kisaragi bloodline, right? Though to be fair, Godo only accepts the half-bred child because he knows it’s as good as it’s gonna get.” She couldn’t stop the bitterness from seeping into her words. 

It had been a constant conflict of interest between her and her father and she had done her hardest to keep the problem from spilling into her family’s life—she just wasn’t sure how much longer she would be able to keep it from Axel. The only reason Godo hadn’t given her more of a hard time was because he knew that if he made her choose, she would choose her family over the throne each and every time.

“Yuffie…”

Shaking her head woefully, Yuffie brushed her darker thoughts away with a smile. “Anyway, we’re still thinking ‘bout it, but it’s just shitty timing and well, I’m away so often…” she trailed off as she watched Axel run towards her, announcing to the entire world that he had to go to the bathroom.

With a laugh, she excused herself before grabbing onto Axel’s hand and dragging him back to the villa, making sure to snag the half-empty cup of cocktail back with her.

As Axel went to the washroom, Yuffie downed the rest of her drink before starting to mix herself another one. When he was done, Yuffie walked him out of the villa and watched as Axel ran across the beach to rejoin Reno before going back into the kitchen bar to finish up her drink.

Just as she was about to step out outside again, her cell phone rang from the dining table—she noted with interest that it was her private phone and not her publicly-known work number that was ringing. Curious, because most of the people who would be calling her were with her and those who weren’t usually called Tifa first, she walked back over to the dining area before glancing at the screen—unknown number.

“Better not be some spam calls,” she muttered irately to herself before picking it up and placing it to her ear. “Yuffie Kisaragi speaking. Who’s calling?”

A sharp intake of breath.  _ “The _ Lady Yuffie Kisaragi?”

Yuffie couldn’t stop the annoyed frown from crossing her face nor could she prevent her eyebrows from drawing together. “How'd you get this number?” she asked in a clipped tone.

“Sorry!” The voice on the other end squeaked. “Y-your number was listed on a will and I—” A short pause. “Sorry, let me start from the beginning. I’m Arnie Freeman and I’m the executor for Yumi Fujiwara’s will.” 

Her mind tried to remember a Yumi Fijiwara but came up blank. “Who?”

“Yumi Fujiwara. From Gongaga.”

Just as she was about to ask who again, the sudden realization that it was someone from  _ Gongaga _ hit her, nearly causing her to stagger—she let out a shocked breath as her heart dropped.

She was suddenly acutely aware that he was still talking, despite her mind fogging up. “Please, sorry,” she murmured as she clutched her hand to her chest. “Can you repeat what you said again?”

Arnie cleared his throat before coughing, and clearing his throat nervously again. “As I’ve said, I’m executing Yumi Fujiwara’s will and it’s been stated here that they would like their grandchild, Abigail Ikeda, to go to you.”

Her heart stopped and her mouth dried.

Yuffie was never one to be attuned with her feelings, but she suddenly found herself emotionally overwhelmed—her eyes watered as she swallowed thickly, her breath shuddering. “W-what?”

“I realize this may come as a shock to you, and of course, you can decline—”

Her mind flashed back to the look on Reno’s face as he held Sayuri for the last time, whispering in her ear before brushing his lips against the top of her head—she remembered the way she snored lightly in her sleep lying between Reno and her, the way she snuggled up to her as she held her.

Sayuri was the reason she and Reno were together, and one of the reasons why she and Reno had wanted  _ so much _ to adopt another child.

“Let me talk to my husband. Do I call you back on this number?”

He gave a small relieved sigh and Yuffie could hear the smile in his voice. “O-of course! It’s not a rush. Should you decide to accept, all of Yumi’s assets will go to Abigail when she turns of age, but you will be the trustee until then. In the meantime, Abigail will be living with us—”

“What happens if we decline?” Yuffie cut in, although she knew deep down that this was what her and Reno had been waiting for all along.

As the call ended, all she could think of was the way Sayuri giggled and gurgled at the sight of Reno. Forgetting about her cocktail, she ran out the villa as quickly as she could, her heart overflowing with joy and happiness—she realized halfway to Reno that she had forgotten her sandals and she was running barefooted.

Reno looked at her in alarm as she ran into him and he caught her in his arms. Only then did she register that her body was trembling and she knew that if he hadn’t been holding her up, her legs would have buckled.

“Somethin’ happen?” he asked, his gruff voice gentle in her ear.

Shaking her head, she looked up at him with the brightest smile she could muster before grabbing his face and kissing him hard. An uncontrollable laugh bubbled out of her as she heard Axel make gagging sounds nearby. “Hey Turkey,” she said with a giggle. “Ya think we can make a quick detour after this trip?”

He looked at her as if she had gone crazy, which probably wasn’t far off from her usual self. “Your old man fire you?” he asked with a crooked smirk.

“I wish…” she trailed off, but she couldn’t stop the wide smile from spreading across her face. “Remember how we’ve been talking about adopting another child?”

“Yeah?” His eyes glowed with affection and she didn’t think she’d ever get used to seeing that look on his face.

Yuffie brushed her lips against his again and again and again. 

“D'you think we're ready?" she asked, a hint of uncertainty in her tone. The timing was awful and they were nowhere near ready for another child at that very moment—but she realized the second she had uttered those words that there would never be the perfect time.

"Why?"

“Because there’s a little girl named Abigail from Gongaga who’s waiting for a home.” She couldn’t stop her voice from shaking, nor could she stop her eyes from misting over.

His eyes widened imperceptibly before he moved towards her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders—she marveled at the familiar way their bodies fit together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. The smell of his aftershave and the scent of his skin brought her immeasurable comfort and she laid her head against his shoulder.

“We’ll be way over our goddamn head,” he murmured softly in her ear as his breath tickled her neck. “But it’ll be worth every fuckin’ moment.”

Her lips curled up contentedly and she finally felt like she was filling the hole in her chest that had been there for a decade. “Turkey,” she mumbled as her lips brushed against his bare skin, “you’re such a big softie deep, deep, deeeeeeeeeeeep down.”

“I’m gonna fuckin’ kill you,” he said wryly.

She waved off his threat flippantly. “Nah, you won’t. You love me too much and you know it.”

“Urk! Grossness! Why are my parents  _ always _ so embarrassing?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, chapter 9 would have been a good end to the story, so this chapter is just a super self-indulgent chapter (who am I kidding—the entire fic was self-indulgent :D) Also, I just had to tie Sayuri back to the family for good. But yes, I had to sprinkle some realism in here because honestly, I can’t see Godo being okay with Yuffie getting married to Reno, but hey! This was a joy to write so I hope everyone enjoyed the ride! Thanks for sticking around and I’m really sad to see this finished, but onto other plot bunnies! <3
> 
> As usual, comments and kudos are very much appreciated!


End file.
